Blue Skies
by LuckyxLabradoodlexLoverx7
Summary: AU: After Mimi dies, a new girl moves into Mimi’s loft and falls in love not only with Roger’s music, but Roger himself. RDOC. Takes place at the end of 2007 beginning of 2008.
1. Letting Go

Disclaimer - I own nothing except my original characters and the plot. All the rest belongs to the wonderful Jonathon Larson. 'Nuff said.

_**Italics**_ are thoughts, flashbacks and song lyrics

A/N: No idea what inspired this story. I will update VIVA La Vie Boheme - it's just I have writer's block.

Summary: AU: After Mimi dies, a new girl moves into Mimi's loft and falls in love not only with Roger's music, but Roger himself. RD/OC. Takes place at the end of 2007 - beginning of 2008.

Genre: General/Romance

Rating: T

* * *

CHAPTER ONE  
(chapter title - Letting Go)

_Pleasure of love lasts but a moment, Pain of love lasts a lifetime._  
Jean Pierre Claris De Florian

Roger sighed as he sat on the fire escape, tears streaming down his cheeks. Mimi had died three weeks ago from a combination of HIV and a cold she had caught. Looking to his right, he saw storm clouds gathering in the distance, but he didn't care. He didn't want to live anymore - he had already lost Collins, Angel and Mimi - he didn't want to lose anyone else.

"Roger?" Mark called into the loft. Even though he was married, Mark stopped by every so often to check on his friend.

"What?" Roger snapped, stepping into the loft. He shut the window shortly after thunder sounded in the distance.

"I'm just dropping off some food." Mark gestured to the box he had brought in with him. Curiously, Roger made his way over and opened the lid of the box - a large cheese pizza was inside - begging to be eaten.

"Thanks." Roger thanked his friend, grabbing a paper plate and a piece of pizza before sitting on the ragged couch and turned on the TV.

"I'm gonna go, unless you want some company." Mark said, starting to head out the door.

"No, please stay." Roger told his friend. Mark smiled and helped himself to a piece of pizza. The two men watched CSI in silence.

An hour later, Mark said that he had to go home and check on Maureen. Roger smiled and walked his friend out the door - he had to check his mail anyway.

Walking down the stairs, he stopped when he saw a raven-haired girl look up from the mail slot. She looked to be about twenty-two or twenty-three. She was wearing an orange empire-waist shirt and dark blue jeans. She had silver-framed glasses and three piercings in each of her ears. Her hair was cut short so that it barely came down to her shoulders.

"Hi." she greeted Roger, slipping a key into her pocket.

"Hi." he greeted her back. She had dropped something on the floor, so when she bent down, Roger caught a glimpse of a tattoo on her lower back.

"I'm Elizabeth - Lizzie for short." the girl introduced herself, standing up.

"Roger." he told her simply. Lizzie smiled at him and headed up the stairs, her brown flip-flops echoing behind her.

"Wait!" Roger called after her. Lizzie turned around and looked at Roger, her brown eyes sparkling.

"Yeah?" she asked, fishing for her key.

"I was wondering- never mind." Roger started to say when he remembered that he had Mimi's funeral coming up, so he wouldn't be able to do anything for a while.

"What?" she asked.

"I was going to ask you out for dinner, but then I remembered that I have plans. Would you be available sometime next week?" Roger inquired. Lizzie managed a small smile and nodded. Roger smiled back and watched her enter her loft - Mimi's old one. Taking a deep breath, he walked upstairs and thought about the mysterious woman in the loft below him.


	2. History Lesson

CHAPTER TWO  
(chapter title - History Lesson)

_You cannot hope to build a better world  
without improving individuals_  
Unknown

Elizabeth Marie Dexter was born on December 24th, 1970 in Palm Springs, Florida to a rock-star father and a mom who worked double shifts at a greasy spoon. She had two older brothers - Steve and Paul, but they moved out way after Elizabeth was born.

All her life, Elizabeth wanted to act, but her mother wouldn't let her. When she was sixteen, Elizabeth dropped out of high school and moved to New York City. She auditioned for a musical, but got a very small part. An agent discovered her and got her a role in a musical called Gigi, playing the main character.

After playing Gigi for four years on Broadway, Lizzie quit and got into drugs - especially Heroin. She bought drugs from a dealer called The Man. Her friend, April, had told her about him and said that he was a good guy.

She married a man named Doug and within a year, they had a daughter named Iris. Both Doug and Iris died when Lizzie's apartment caught fire. Shortly after they died, Lizzie found out that she was HIV positive after she went though a year and a half of withdrawal. April had been there with her the whole time.

After April died, Lizzie felt like a piece of her had died as well. She and April had been the best of friends ever since Lizzie had moved to New York.

Lizzie knew that she wasn't alone in the world - she hoped that the cute guy upstairs would be available sooner than later.


	3. Waiting in the Dark

CHAPTER THREE  
(chapter title - Waiting in the Dark)

_When you stand still, you reject the struggle, and you refuse to change and grow.  
Ultimately, you reject fulfillment, happiness, the dance for joy and everything else that is eternally good _  
Matthew Kelly

At six AM the next morning, Lizzie got out of bed and walked to her tiny kitchen to make some tea. Adjusting her glasses, she turned on the kitchen light and put on some water for tea. While she waited, she heard a faint voice of someone singing. She turned off the water for tea and decided to go investigate. Putting on her pink bunny slippers, she opened the door and as quietly as she could, she closed it behind her. She held onto the railing and made her way up the stairs. It seemed to be coming from the loft directly over hers.

As she got closer, she could clearly hear someone singing - or wailing - she couldn't decide.

"_I should tell you I should tell you  
I have always loved you  
You can see it in my eyes._" the person - a male - sang. Lizzie felt herself drawn to the mysterious voice. Before she knew it, she was at the door of the first loft on the left-hand side. She lifted her hand to knock on the door when it slid open to reveal Roger standing there. He was shirtless and was wearing blue-and-white striped boxer shorts. His hair was sticking up in all different directions. He held a guitar in his hand and had a sleepy expression on his face.

"Hey." he greeted her hoarsely.

"Hi." she greeted him back, hoping that he would stand aside so that she could go into the loft.

"I couldn't sleep." They said in unison. Roger moved aside so that Lizzie could come into the loft.

"I heard you sing - you have a gorgeous voice." Lizzie told him, making her way into the loft. Roger slid the door shut behind her and looked her up and down.

"You must like pink, huh?" he teased. Lizzie smirked and looked at what she was wearing - a thin pink zip-up sweater worn over a pink tank top. She also wore Eeyore pajama bottoms and on her feet, she wore her pink bunny slippers.

"Yeah - it's one of my favorite colors." Lizzie told him, feeling Roger move next to her. The two of them were seated on the couch, talking. They had exchanged stories of their childhood and what brought them to New York. Roger brought his face to Lizzie's and kissed her on the lips, taking in her sweet taste. She kicked her bunny slippers off and laid flat on the couch, Roger climbing on top of her.

"Wait." she put a finger to his lips.

"What?" he inquired, his large hands already up her shirt.

"IhaveHIV." she mumbled.

"What?" Roger repeated.

"I have HIV. I got it from my husband, but he's dead." Lizzie explained, sitting up on the couch. Roger removed his hands from under her shirt and turned so that he was facing her.

"I was married to a man who didn't tell me until I was expecting our daughter." Lizzie told him, feeling tears in her eyes. She felt them on her cheeks as she told Roger about how her husband and daughter died. When she was finished telling the story, Roger took her in his arms and held her until the sun came up. He laid Lizzie on the couch and let her sleep. He put her glasses on the table in front of the couch and put a throw blanket with stars on it over her. He then walked to his room and fell asleep.

Lizzie woke up at noon to the sound of someone banging on the door. Groping around for her glasses, she put them on and walked to the door.

"ROGER! IF YOU DON'T OPEN THIS DOOR, I'M GONNA KICK IT IN!" A woman's voice threatened.

"I'm coming!" Lizzie told the person, hurrying as fast as she could over to the door. She slid the door open and looked at the people on the other side. It was a man and a woman - probably Roger's brother and his wife. The guy had spiky hair, pale blue eyes and wore silver-framed glasses like hers. He was wearing a gray zip-up sweatshirt and jeans. On his feet, he wore a pair of beat-up sneakers.

The woman was wearing a tight black t-shirt with an outline of a white cat and extra tight black jeans. Her black high-heeled boots came up to her calves. She had brown hair that came to the middle of her back and piercing black eyes.

"Hi. Is Roger here?" the woman asked.

"Yeah - he's sleeping. Does he know you two?" Lizzie inquired, blocking the entrance to the loft.

"I'm his best friend and this is my wife." the man answered.

"How do I know that this is true?" Lizzie wanted to know.

"Wait a second - who _are_ you?" the woman questioned, looking Lizzie up and down.

"I'm Lizzie - also a friend of Roger's." Lizzie introduced herself.

"LIZZIE? WHO'S AT THE DOOR?" Roger called.

"IT'S SOME GUY AND A GIRL CLAIMING THAT THEY KNOW YOU." Lizzie called back.

"LET THEM IN - THEY'RE FRIENDS OF MINE." Roger told her. Lizzie stood aside and let the couple in.

While they waited for Roger (who was in the shower), Lizzie talked to the couple. Their names were Mark and Maureen Cohen-Johnson and they had known Roger for a while. Mark was Roger's best friend and Maureen was Mark's wife.

"Lizzie, how do you know Roger?" Maureen asked.

"I met him when I was checking my mail a couple days ago." Lizzie told them, smiling as Roger came out of the bathroom. He was wearing a pale blue button-up dress shirt worn over nice black pants.

"Hey sweetie." Roger greeted Lizzie, kissing her cheek. Lizzie smiled and stood up, going to her loft to change into street clothes instead of pajamas.

She walked back to the loft a few minutes later. She was wearing a light purple shirt that read 'I heart OZ' on it in big black letters and light blue jeans. She wore sneakers and wore long purple earrings. She carried a maroon purse with a paperback novel in it - The Black Dahlia.

"Hello?" she called into the empty loft. She tired to slip the door open, but it was locked. Frustrated, she turned around and headed back to her loft, tears streaming down her cheeks. She couldn't believe that Roger would just ditch her like that.

She sat on the loveseat in her loft and took out her book, the TV turned on low. Maggie, the black cat she adopted a month ago, jumped onto Lizzie's lap and started purring. Lizzie smiled and periodically, petted her cat. She was glad that someone appreciated her company.


	4. First Date & Second Chances

CHAPTER FOUR  
(chapter title - First Date & Second Chances)

_People see each other as either chocolate or vanilla - why can't we all just come together and be hugs? _  
Becky Mann

A week later, Roger and Lizzie were having lunch at the Life Café. They were sharing an order of onion rings and a strawberry shake when they were joined by Maureen and Mark. Ever since meeting them a week ago, Lizzie was starting to like them and the black woman that sometimes joined them - Maureen's former lover, Joanne. Joanne was a lawyer who worked in Times Square at a law firm called Skadden Arps. Unfortunately, that day, Joanne was working and couldn't come to lunch with them.

"When are you due?" Lizzie asked, looking at Maureen's stomach. Maureen had told both Roger and Lizzie that she was expecting twins the other day.

"Sometime in November - the week of Thanksgiving." Maureen answered, looking at her stomach. Mark put a comforting arm around Maureen's shoulders and helped himself to an onion ring.

The four of them took a walk in Central Park after they ate lunch. Maureen and Mark ended up leaving five minutes after they started walking - Maureen had a doctor's appointment that they had to go to.

Roger and Lizzie looked at each other and smiled.

"You having fun?" Roger asked, taking Lizzie's hand in his. She nodded and looked at the rows of carriages in front of Central Park. Letting go of Roger's hand, Lizzie walked to the first horse - a big gray one - and held out her hand.

"You're so pretty." Lizzie told the horse, stroking its forelock. The horse bobbed its head and nickered. The driver came over and looked at Roger and Lizzie.

"How much for a ride around the park?" Roger asked the driver.

"Twenty bucks." he grunted. Lizzie fished out a twenty from her back pocket as she and Roger climbed into the carriage.

"What's your horse's name?" Lizzie asked, taking Roger's hand in hers.

"Storm." the driver answered.

"Mare or gelding?" Roger inquired.

"Gelding." the driver told him, snapping the whip over Storm's flanks. The gelding snorted and took off at a trot. The driver didn't pay much attention to Roger or Lizzie - mostly on Storm.

Twenty minutes later, Lizzie and Roger stepped off of the carriage and walked back to the loft, hand in hand.

Three days later, Roger and Lizzie were having dinner on the roof when Roger reached into his coat pocket and handed Lizzie a small box. Curious, she opened it and felt tears come to her eyes - inside the box, was a silver ring with a pattern of ivy on it.

"Elizabeth Dexter - will you be my girlfriend?" Roger asked. Lizzie nodded and felt tears stream down her cheeks as Roger put the ring on her right ring finger. It fit perfectly. She threw her arms around his neck and cried into his shirt. Roger kissed her neck and told her that everything was going to be okay. From that moment on, the two of them were never seen apart.

A month later, Roger proposed - of course, Lizzie said 'yes'. The two of them went to work planning their marriage.

Maureen had her twins - a boy and a girl - the day of Thanksgiving. They named the twins Thomas and Tracie - friends of Maureen and Mark's from high school who had passed away. When Lizzie held little Thomas in her arms, she wondered if she and Roger would ever have kids - probably not, seeing as both of them were HIV positive, but there were always options - adoption and having a surrogate mother. Roger liked the idea of adoption, but it would have to wait until the wedding stress had passed.

The week of the wedding, Roger received some horrible news - his mother had passed away from lung cancer, so he would have to fly to Florida for the funeral. The wedding was put off for another month, which Lizzie was okay with.

Once Roger got back from Florida, the wedding was on.

"Roger, it's Christmas - why don't we wait until spring?" Lizzie suggested, snuggling closer to Roger. The electricity had gone out during the middle of the night, making Lizzie shiver in the cold. Roger put extra blankets on the bed and snuggled closer to Lizzie.

The wedding was back on in April and the happy couple was finally married.

At the reception, Roger got to meet Lizzie's grandparents - Earl and Mabel. Her parents, unfortunately, couldn't make the wedding for personal reasons. When it was time for the father-daughter dance, Lizzie ended up dancing with her oldest brother, Steve.

Once Lizzie was in Roger's arms, everything seemed so perfect.


	5. New Beginnings: Part One

CHAPTER FIVE  
(chapter title - New Beginnings: Part One)

_We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths - _  
Walt Disney

"Oh my goodness! She's so beautiful!" Maureen squealed as Lizzie and Roger walked down the airport terminal. Lizzie smiled and looked over at her husband who was holding their new daughter. They had just got off the plane from China with their new adopted daughter named Ming-Na. She was two-years-old, the same age as Thomas and Tracie.

"When's her birthday?" Mark asked, walking over with Thomas and Tracie.

"October 25th- same day as mine." Roger answered, setting Ming-Na down on the ground. He and Lizzie walked on either side of her while they walked to the baggage carousel. Ming-Na looked up at her parents and smiled. Roger looked down at his daughter and smiled back.

Half an hour later, the seven of them were sitting in the loft. Ming-Na, Tracie and Thomas were playing on the floor as the adults watched them.

There was a knock on the door, so Lizzie went to answer it, bringing Ming-Na with her.

"Hey Joanne!" Lizzie greeted the other woman. Joanne smiled and looked down at Ming-Na in Lizzie's arms.

"Hey Lizzie sweetie. Is this Ming-Na?" Joanne inquired. Lizzie nodded and handed the toddler to her new aunt. Lizzie saw Ming-Na's eyes grow big as Joanne cooed to her.

"I think she likes you." Lizzie said as she and Joanne walked back toward the couch.

That night, after everyone had gone home, Roger and Lizzie put Ming-Na to bed.

"She's so beautiful." Lizzie commented as she put a pair of pink footie pajamas on Ming-Na.

"Yup. It's hopeless - I'm defenseless against two beautiful women." Roger teased as he looked at his beautiful daughter. She was snuggled in her crib with her two favorite stuffed animals - a white stuffed monkey named Shannon and a brown teddy bear named Merlin. Lizzie and Roger had gotten Shannon for Ming-Na and the Cohen family had gotten Merlin for her the day that Roger and Lizzie had announced that they were going to China to pick up their new baby.

Lizzie snuggled closer to Roger and put her arms around him. Roger grunted in his sleep and turned over on his side, facing away from her. Ming-Na was asleep in the room across the hall. Maggie, Lizzie's cat, was sprawled across the bed that Roger and Lizzie shared.

The next morning, Lizzie awoke early and changed into a long-sleeved yellow t-shirt and black sweatpants before grabbing her iPod and headed into the city.

Roger stretched and looked over to see that he was alone. Walking out to the kitchen, he saw that Lizzie had left a note for him saying that she had gone jogging and would be home in time for breakfast.

Out of breath, Lizzie slowed to a slow jog then a walk. Taking a deep breath of air, she slowed her breathing and decided to turn around and head home to her loved ones.

"Lizzie? Is that you?" a voice asked, but Lizzie didn't hear it. Turning up the volume on her iPod, she broke into a run and headed back to the loft.

"Lizzie!" the voice called, but Lizzie kept running. She only stopped when she reached the loft entrance and felt a hand upon her arm. Turning around, she saw a familiar face.

"Paul? Oh my God!" Lizzie smiled and turned off her iPod, stuffing it into her pocket of her sweatpants.

"How've you been doing?" her brother asked.

"Okay. Roger and I adopted a little girl from China named Ming-Na. Do you have a minute to see her?" Lizzie asked, wiping sweat from her brow. Paul shook his head and looked at his watch.

"I'm sorry - I have a meeting pretty soon. Would the three of you like to meet Sara and I for dinner tonight?" Paul inquired. Sara was his twelve-year-old daughter. Paul's wife died when Sara was nine of cancer.

"I would have to talk to Roger first, but I think we'll be able to come." Lizzie told her brother, fishing her key out of her pocket.

"Okay. Well, I better get going. I'll see you tonight." Paul kissed his younger sister on her cheek and headed down the street. Lizzie watched her brother - he had raven hair like hers and piercing blue eyes like their father's. He was 6'7 and was as healthy as a horse. He was a lawyer and knew Joanne. The two of them had dated, but ever since Joanne told him she was a lesbian, they stopped seeing each other.

Entering the loft, Lizzie saw that Roger was sitting on the couch with Ming-Na. Maggie was sitting on the back of the couch, cleaning herself.

"Hey baby." Lizzie greeted her husband. Roger looked up and smiled at her, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"What's wrong?" Lizzie asked her husband, rushing over towards him.

"Tracie's in the hospital." he managed to choke out.

"Why? What's wrong with her?" Lizzie tried to get questions out of him, but Roger could only cry.

"T-the d-d-doctors t-think sh-she m-might ha-have b-b-been p-p-poisoned." Roger sobbed. Lizzie felt the bottom of her stomach drop out as she sat beside her husband, taking Ming-Na onto her lap.

"Oh my God." Lizzie murmured. She felt tears in her eyes as Ming-Na looked up at her.

"What wrong, mommy?" Ming-Na asked, looking up at Lizzie.

"Nothing for you to worry about, angel." Lizzie told her daughter, picking her up and holding her so that she was nestled against her chest. She leaned into Roger and felt him put an arm around her shoulders. The three of them sat there for a few moments - Lizzie and Roger crying while Ming-Na looked up at them in confusion.

That afternoon, Lizzie called a sitter for Ming-Na while she and Roger went to visit Tracie in the hospital. They walked together in silence before Lizzie broke the silence.

"I saw my brother, Paul, this morning." Lizzie told Roger.

"What did he want?" Roger asked.

"He wanted to know if you, Ming-Na and I wanted to meet him and Sara for dinner tonight." Lizzie said, brushing tears out of her eyes.

"I don't know, Liz." Roger said, his hand tightening on hers.

"What don't you know? The two of you got along great at the wedding and whenever he calls, he wants to know how you're doing." Lizzie told her husband. Roger was silent, which meant he was thinking.

They walked the rest of the way to the hospital - their thoughts spinning out of control.

The couple ended up visiting with Tracie for an hour before a nurse came in and told them that she needed to do testing on the toddler. After a tearful farewell to the Cohen's, Lizzie and Roger headed back to the loft in silence.

When they arrived home, Lizzie put Ming-Na down for a nap while Roger paid the babysitter. She exited the loft as Lizzie came out of the nursery. The rest of the day, Lizzie and Roger did their own things - Roger worked on a song while Lizzie read a book.

That night, the three of them headed to the Life Café where they were meeting Paul and Sara. The evening was filled with conversation, laughter and chatter - three things that Lizzie and Roger loved - besides each other.


	6. In Need of a Miracle: Part One

CHAPTER SIX  
(chapter title - In Need of a Miracle - Part One)

_We can't become what we need by remaining what we are - _  
Max Dupree

Tracie ended up staying in the hospital for a week before the doctors knew exactly what was wrong with her - she had caught the stomach flu, nothing to worry about. Maureen and Mark could finally let out a sigh of relief when the doctor told them.

As soon as Tracie was released from the hospital, it was Roger and Ming-Na's birthdays. Paul and his daughter, Sara, joined the Cohen's and the Davis's. They went out to dinner at Kitty's - a kid's restaurant and went to the three-story Toys R Us in Times Square. Roger volunteered to ride the Ferris Wheel with Ming-Na, Tracie and Thomas. Lizzie ended up taking pictures of them in a My Little Pony car.

After leaving Toys R Us with three bagfuls of toys, the Cohen's and Davis's went to the loft while Paul and Sara headed back to their apartment near Times Square.

After Ming-Na was down for the night, both Roger and Lizzie were getting ready for bed in silence when Roger cleared his throat. Lizzie turned around and saw that he was completely naked.

"What are you doing?" Lizzie asked as he walked over to her and put his hands under her nightshirt and slowly massaged her back. Lizzie moaned with pleasure as Roger trailed kisses up and down her neck as they walked to the bed. Lizzie's nightshirt was on the floor, along with her bra. As they climbed into bed, Roger removed Lizzie's sweatpants and her underwear. He climbed on top of her and took off her glasses, placing them on the nightstand next to the bed.

Placing his lips on top of hers, Roger went inside Lizzie and explored. Lizzie just laid still and watched Roger. His hands were on her medium-sized breasts, gently squeezing them.

"Oh God." Lizzie moaned as Roger gently pulled her legs apart and went inside her. Lizzie saw that he was wearing a condom, so that made Lizzie feel a little better.

They ended up making love for most of the night, Lizzie enjoying it so much.

As she slept, Lizzie wondered how her husband and daughter would react to Roger and Ming-Na. Would they have gotten along? What would they think of the Cohen's? What about Joanne? Questions were racing through Lizzie's mind.

The next morning, Lizzie woke up with her throat burning and a runny nose.

"Rober!" Lizzie called, realizing how ridiculous she sounded.

"What?" Roger asked, rushing into the room. Lizzie put her glasses on and saw that he was wearing a plain green t-shirt and jeans torn at the knees.

"I don't feel wellb." Lizzie told him, completely stuffed up. Roger walked over and sat down next to her on the bed and felt her forehead.

"You're burning up." Roger said, tears in his eyes. He knew that a cold could be deadly to anyone with HIV.

"Could youb take care of be?" Lizzie inquired. Roger nodded and helped Lizzie sit up. He put her pajamas back on and carried her to the couch. Laying her on the couch, he went back into their room and brought out three pillows and a large throw blanket with three horses going through a storm on it. He handed her the remote for the TV and set up a TV tray with a bottle of water, medicine and a bowl of chicken noodle soup on it.

Lizzie fell asleep in the middle of watching _Hairspray_. She felt Maggie asleep at her feet, curled into a ball. Roger made sure that Lizzie had everything she needed. He called Maureen to let her know that Lizzie was sick and see if Ming-Na could spend the day over there. Of course, Maureen said yes and picked Ming-Na up at one o'clock.

Once Ming-Na was gone, Roger turned all his attention back to his wife. He took her temperature - 101.5. Roger felt a lump in his throat - he knew that she could die.

"I'm gonna get you to the hospital." Roger said, taking the blanket off of his sleeping wife and scooped her in his arms. He then grabbed his cell phone and keys, stuffing them into the pocket of his jacket.

Maureen and Mark were asleep when they received a phone call.

"What?" Maureen croaked.

"I'm at the hospital." Roger's voice sounded concerned.

"What's wrong?" Maureen was more awake now.

"Lizzie - she's really sick." Roger's voice was starting to crack.

"Do you want us down there?" Maureen asked, nudging Mark awake.

"No - it's okay. I'll call you guys if I need company." Roger told her. Maureen nodded and told Roger that she would keep both him and Lizzie in her thoughts and prayers. Roger thanked her and hung up.

He ended up spending the night with Lizzie in the hospital. Her cold had taken a turn for the worse - she was now running a very high fever and was uncomfortable. Roger feared that this would be the end…


	7. In Need of a Miracle: Part Two

CHAPTER SEVEN  
(chapter title - In Need of a Miracle - Part Two)

_You can't do anything about the length of your life, but you can do something about its width and depth -  
_Shira Tehrani

_Lizzie? Honey, can you hear me? _A faint male voice called to her. Lizzie moaned in her sleep, thinking that it was Roger, but it didn't sound like him.  
_  
Mommy? _A young girl's voice called. Lizzie felt tears in her eyes - it was Doug and Iris.

_Liz - I want you to know something. It's not your time. Roger and your daughter need you - please stay with them. Everyone needs you in their lives._ Lizzie's eyes welled up with tears - April's voice.

Lizzie opened her eyes and looked around. Roger was stroking her hand and the rest of her family sitting or standing around her bed.

"Mmm." Lizzie moaned, opening her eyes.

"Oh God!" Roger exclaimed, making everyone jump.

"R-Roger?" Lizzie croaked, sitting up in the hospital bed. Lizzie could see Roger's eyes well up with tears.

"Thank God you're alive." Joanne whispered, rushing over to her. Lizzie smiled and looked around at her friends - Mark and Maureen were sitting in the chairs next to the hospital bed on Lizzie's right; Roger was sitting in the chair next to the hospital bed on Lizzie's left and the rest of her friends - including a black man that Lizzie didn't recognize.

"I was in a tunnel - heading towards a warm, bright light when I saw my daughter, April and husband - they told me to turn around and stay here." Lizzie told her friends. Roger cried and gathered her in his arms, sobbing into her hair.

"We all thought that you were gone." Roger sobbed. Lizzie smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. The others joined in the hug - including the black man. Lizzie later found out that his name was Benjamin Coffin the third - Benny for short - and that he was an old friend of the gang.

After everyone had left - except for Roger and Ming-Na - Lizzie drifted back off to sleep, happy that she would be able to see her family again.


	8. Sacrifices

CHAPTER EIGHT  
(chapter title - Sacrifices)

_Every ending has a new beginning -_  
Tarzan: The Broadway Musical

Two months later, Roger and Lizzie had an announcement to make - Ming-Na was going to be a big sister. Maureen instantly volunteered herself to being in charge of Lizzie's baby shower.

To get his mind off of the upcoming baby shower, Roger took Mark, Benny and Paul- Lizzie's brother - out for drinks.

"I can't believe all that's happening." Roger told his friends as the waitress put their drinks in front of them.

"I know - we almost lost both Tracie and Lizzie, you're gonna be a dad again and Joanne, Benny and Paul are getting married." Mark listed the events on his fingers. After Benny and Alison split, Benny had met a woman named Sophie. Joanne had met a wonderful woman named Hannah and Paul was engaged to a woman named Abby.

"Here's to all the events in our lives." Benny raised his glass in a toast. Paul, Roger and Mark followed suit.

"How are Sara and Abby getting along?" Roger asked.

"They seem to really like each-" Paul started to say when his cell phone went off. Getting up from the table, he excused himself and went to answer his phone.

"He seems really nice." Benny commented when Steve was out of earshot.

"He is." Roger and Mark answered in unison.

"So, Rog, how's Lizzie?" Mark asked. The two men rarely saw each other the past week - all four of them had work and rarely had time to talk.

"She's fine. We went to the doctor yesterday - she's going to have the baby in the spring. We decided to wait until the baby's born to know the gender. We're trying to decide how to tell Ming-Na when Lizzie starts to get big - she's having morning sickness and her hormones are out of control." Roger told his friends. Benny listened intently, stirring his straw around in his drink.

"Sorry about that - Sara called to ask my opinion about this boy she likes." Paul apologized. The other men looked up at him and smiled.

"How's your brother doing? We haven't heard anything about him." Benny piped up. Paul's grinning face turned serious.

"He's fighting the war in Iraq. He's been there since the end of 2003." Paul answered, his voice solemn. Everyone was silent, not knowing what to say.

Everyone ended up leaving the bar an hour later. Mark walked with Roger to the loft while Benny and Steve headed in the opposite direction.

"_And it's beginning to snow._" Roger sang softly, looking up at the sky. It was a cloudy night, the clouds heavy with snow.

"What are you gonna give Lizzie for Valentine's Day?" Mark asked, startling Roger out of his thoughts.

"I haven't decided yet - probably a gift certificate for a massage or facial or something like that." Roger answered, stuffing his hands into his pockets. He had forgotten his gloves - again. Lizzie was so gonna kill him - or give him a lecture about wearing gloves.

"I'm going to head home. The kids are waiting for me to read them a bedtime story and tuck them in." Mark told his friend, giving him a quick hug before heading down the street. Roger returned the hug and headed to the loft, anxious to see his wife and daughter.

"Hello?" Roger called into the loft, making sure to keep his voice low, in case Ming-Na was asleep.

"Hey." Lizzie called from the couch. Roger walked over and looked at his wife. She was wearing a large orange nightshirt, Eeyore pajama pants, black socks and a teal terrycloth robe. Her hair was pulled into a bun at the base of her neck. A horse throw blanket was over her legs and her laptop on her lap.

"How are you doing?" Roger asked, walking around the couch and sat down next to her, placing her feet on his lap. Lizzie smiled, not looking up from her laptop.

"Whatcha doing?" Roger inquired, removing one of her socks so that he could give her a foot massage.

"Doing some stuff for work." Lizzie answered. She had gotten a job as a producer on ABC and she was always working on scripts. She jerked her foot back and giggled.

"Can I get you anything?" Roger wanted to know. Lizzie shook her head and closed her laptop, sneaking her way over to Roger.

"Ming-Na asleep?"

"Yeah."

"You wanna do it?"

"I was reading some stuff in my baby books and it said that we shouldn't have sex while I'm pregnant. It could hurt the baby." Lizzie told him as Roger helped her get her things into their room.

"Oh." Roger sounded a little hurt. Lizzie smiled and kissed her husband on the cheek. She walked into their room and put her laptop on the table next to the door before taking off her robe and hung it up in the closet.

"You are so damn sexy." Roger purred, walking over to her. Lizzie smiled as he hummed a corny porno song as he stripped out of his clothes. She rolled her eyes and sat on the bed, getting out a book as Maggie trotted into the room and hopped on the bed.

"Why do we still have that cat?" Roger asked.

"You know you love her." Lizzie teased, picking Maggie up and put her in Roger's face. Maggie hissed and squirmed out of Lizzie's grasp, scratching her. Lizzie let out a squeal of pain as Maggie's claws slashed across her arm, revealing her old cut scars.

"What are those?" Roger asked, grabbing Lizzie's arm before she could pull it away.

"Old cat scratches." Lizzie lied. She really didn't want to tell him about her cutting days.

"Don't lie to me, Lizzie." Roger warned, turning on the lamp on his bedside table.

"Okay. You want the truth? Those aren't cat scratches." Lizzie swallowed before continuing on. "I used to cut myself. It started when I was ten after I lost my best friend when she was killed in a car crash. I picked up one of my mother's old needles for sewing and scraped it against my arm. I liked the feeling, so when I got older, I got a hold of Paul's razor. I scraped it against my arm and had to be rushed to the hospital because I almost lost my life.

When I turned sixteen, I decided to try to commit suicide. My first boyfriend dumped me for a prettier girl. After he dumped me, I felt like life was useless, so I was gonna do the world a favor and kill myself. I decided to take a bath and shave my legs. I had the portable CD player with me and was listening to the original soundtrack of Phantom of the Opera. I looked at the back of my right arm and slid my razor down it, digging the razor in deep. I did it again and again and again until there was so much blood, I thought that I was gonna die. I blacked out and when I woke up, I was in the hospital with my mom and dad looking at me like I was an alien or something. They kicked me out of the house and I moved to New York.

Since I didn't have enough money for an apartment, I sang and acted out plays for food and money on the street. A talent scout discovered me and had me audition for a musical - I can't remember the name. I got a small part and was on Broadway for a while. I quit the play and the same talent scout had me audition for a musical called Gigi. I got the lead and was on Broadway for four years. I quit that musical and got involved with drugs - especially heroin. I bought my drugs from a dealer called The Man. My friend April recommended him - she bought her drugs from him, too. My withdrawal, I went through hell, but April was right with me - trying to get me clean. After she died, I didn't have anybody in the world I could trust until I met my husband. We got married and life was great - I had just given birth to my daughter when he told me that he was HIV positive. I was shocked, so when my daughter was old enough, I took her and we tried to run from him, but he wouldn't let us get away. One night, while we were sleeping, I smelled smoke and got out as fast as I could. My husband and daughter, however, weren't so lucky. They both died in the fire. After they died, I felt like I wouldn't love anyone ever again - until I met you." Lizzie stopped talking and looked at the floor. She had spilled her entire life's story out to Roger - a man she trusted with her life.

Roger took in everything Lizzie told him, holding her and imagining all the pain she had gone through.

"Wait a minute - my old girlfriend before I met Mimi was named April. What was her last name?" Roger asked, his heart fluttering.

"Ericcson. Oh my God!" Lizzie whispered, taking her hair out of its bun.

"What?"

"I thought you looked familiar. I was with April that night you met her at the Life! She told me about it afterward. I remember when you…" Lizzie talked about the old days, but Roger wasn't paying much attention.

There was a moment of silence before Lizzie broke it by saying something shocking that Roger would never forget.

"I forgot to mention that when I was twelve, my dad raped me." Lizzie spoke up, her voice cracking. Roger took her in his arms and let her cry, slowly rocking her back and forth. It was silent except for Lizzie's sobs and Roger's soothing words.

Lizzie finally fell asleep at 12:34 AM. Roger fell asleep at one, thoughts of Lizzie, Ming-Na and his unborn child running through his head.

Seven months later, Lizzie had an emergency C-section, Roger with her throughout it. In the end, Lizzie was holding a little girl - Amber Elizabeth - in her arms for the first time. The baby was diagnosed with HIV and wasn't given much time to live. Lizzie and Roger didn't care what the doctor told them, but they knew that for their baby to live, they would have to make sacrifices. The hardest one for Lizzie was getting rid of Maggie. The cat went to a good home with Paul and his daughter, Sara. The second one was limiting the number of visitors she had each day, in order to keep her from getting sick.

As much as they could to keep their daughter from the deadly virus, she died just short of her three-week-old birthday. Lizzie was completely devastated. Roger did all he could for his suffering wife, but nothing seemed to work. He tried to explain to Ming-Na what happened to her sister, but he couldn't find the right words.

Roger decided to take Ming-Na to the cemetery where his friends - Angel, April, Collins, Mimi and Amber - were buried. She was three now and needed to understand the difference between life and death.

As they drove to the cemetery, Roger explained to Ming-Na where they were going and why in a way so that she would understand.

They arrived at the cemetery and walked to the first grave that was marked - Collins.

"Honey, this is my best friend, Collins. He would've loved you so much." Roger told her, feeling tears in his eyes. Collins had died shortly after he and Mimi had arrived from their honeymoon.

After staying at Collins' grave, they moved on to Angel, April, Amber and Mimi's graves. Roger told about each of the people in front of him. Ming-Na just nodded her head, not really understanding what her daddy was talking about.

As they headed toward the car, Ming-Na tugged on Roger's sleeve.

"What, honey?" he asked. Ming-Na pointed to a grave in front of her.

"What that say?" she inquired.

"It says - 'Here lies Brenna Kathleen - a true Irish saint. 1996-2008. May God rest her soul.'" Roger read the inscription to his daughter.

"How old was she when she-?" Ming-Na didn't want to say die. She hated that word.

"She would've turned eleven." Roger answered, scooping his daughter in his arms.

"How she-?"

"How did she die? I don't know, sweetie." Roger told his daughter, nodding to an elderly couple that had come into the cemetery.

The two of them drove home in silence - Ming-Na had fallen asleep and Roger was focused on the road, anxiously wanting to get home to his one and only love.

* * *

A/N: sorry the ending is kind of lame - I didn't know how else to end it. hope everyone is enjoying this story! if you love, hate or have comments about Blue Skies, don't hesitate to REVIEW! thank you - Maureen Elphaba Thropp

* * *


	9. Out of the Blue

CHAPTER NINE  
(chapter title - Out of the Blue)

_Let's celebrate, remember a year in the life of friends - _  
cast of RENT

A week later, Lizzie was sitting in the living room, working on her laptop when there was a knock on the door. Roger and Ming-Na were at the park with the Cohen's and weren't expected home until an hour later.

Curious, Lizzie walked over to the door and opened it. Standing in the doorway was a man who looked to be about twenty-nine with auburn hair and hazel eyes. He was tall - almost 6 feet and was as skinny as a rail. He wore a plain red T-shirt and jeans torn at the knees.

"Lizzie? Lizzie Davis?" the man asked.

"Yeah. Who's asking?" she inquired, folding her arms over her chest.

"It's Paul - officially home from Iraq." the man told her. Lizzie felt tears in her eyes as she hugged him around the waist and invited him into the loft.

"Can I get you anything to eat or drink?" Lizzie asked, heading to the small kitchen.

"Um, do you have any bottled water?" Paul asked. Lizzie nodded and handed him a cold bottle of water.

The two of them ended up talking until the time that Roger and Ming-Na came home. Ming-Na had a My Little Pony band-aid on her left knee and another one on her right elbow. Lizzie fought back laughter when she saw that Roger had a bright pink My Little Pony band-aid around his right ring finger.

"Paul, this is my husband, Roger and our daughter, Ming-Na. Roger, this is my second-oldest brother, Paul." Lizzie introduced the two men. Roger put Ming-Na in her playpen in the middle of the loft before shaking the other man's hand.

"Nice to meet you." Roger said, smiling.

"Likewise, I'm sure." Paul responded, smiling. The two men let go of each other's hands. Roger sat on the couch next to Lizzie while Paul crouched down in front of Ming-Na.

"What are you doing, sweetie?" Paul asked.

"Playing." Ming-Na answered. She had a dozen My Little Ponies in a circle.

"Can I play with you?" Paul inquired. Ming-Na looked at her parents, an uncertain look on her face.

"She's kind of shy, so she may or may not want you to play with her." Lizzie spoke up.

"Okay. I should get going anyway. Love you, Lizzie. Nice to meet you, Roger." Paul said his goodbyes and headed out the door.

Later that night, Lizzie tried to avoid the subject of Paul as she and Roger got ready for bed. They had already put Ming-Na to bed and they were taking their time getting ready.

"I thought you said that he was in Iraq." Roger spoke up, a little confused. Lizzie rolled her eyes as she brushed her hair.

"He was. I don't know why he's home now." Lizzie told her husband, standing up and stripped out of her clothes. Roger walked over to her and hugged her tightly. Lizzie kissed his bare shoulder and noticed his tattoo.

"Rog, when did you get that?" Lizzie asked, changing the subject. Roger looked at what Lizzie was talking about. On his left forearm was a tattoo with a heart with the words 'I will always love my Lizzie' written in black ink.

"I got it a while ago." Roger told her, rubbing his hands up and down Lizzie's arms.

"I forgot to ask about your tattoo." Roger said, looking at Lizzie's back.

"Oh. I got that when I first met my husband, Doug." Lizzie told him, remembering that day perfectly…

_"C'mon Lizzie!" April called over her shoulder, her red hair bouncing in the sun. Lizzie took in a deep breath and followed April into the tattoo parlor on 42nd and Sunset._

_"Hi. I'm Lizzie and I would like to get a tattoo." Lizzie told the man behind the counter._

_"What kind and where?" he asked._

_"A heart with barbed wire around it and I would like it on my lower back." Lizzie answered, looking over at April. She was flirting with a man with short bleach blond hair in a Mohawk and had tattoos all over his arms. April was infamous for her flirting - Lizzie always teased her about it._

_"Let me sketch it out and come back in half an hour." the man told her. Lizzie nodded and dragged April out of the shop._

_Half an hour later, Lizzie and April returned to the tattoo parlor and went to find the guy with her tattoo pattern._

_"Hey." he greeted her, walking towards Lizzie. She smiled at him and looked at the drawing in his hand. It was a drawing of a heart with a thick cord of barbed wire wrapped around it - perfect._

_"That looks awesome." Lizzie told him, in complete awe._

_"I'm glad you like it. If you could follow me, please." the man told Lizzie. She nodded and followed him into a room just off the parlor. It was painted red with long red curtains over two windows on each side of the room. In the middle of the room was a black leather couch._

_"Just lay on your stomach and bring your shirt up a little bit we can get started. It'll take about twenty minutes, but it'll go by fast. My name's Doug, by the way." The man introduced himself._

_"Lizzie." Lizzie told him, wincing when she felt the needle touch her skin._

_"I haven't even started yet." Doug teased. He and Lizzie chatted the whole time that Lizzie was getting her tattoo. April, however, was chatting with a man with blond hair spiked up in the back. He wore a faded black shirt, tight black jeans and combat boots. From where she was laying, she could see a tattoo on his left forearm._

_Twenty-five minutes later, Lizzie's tattoo was done. She turned around and looked in the full-length mirror in the back of the tattoo parlor. She looked over her shoulder and looked at her tattoo. Doug had done an amazing job on her tattoo. The heart was directly in the middle of her back with barbed wire wrapped around it._

_"It looks perfect. Thank you." Lizzie thanked Doug and handed him two twenties from her purse. Doug shook his head and told her it was on the house - if they could go on a date the next day. Lizzie laughed at the joke and wrote down her address for him, telling him to pick her up at eight and not a minute sooner._

_The next day, Doug picked her up exactly at eight and the two of them went salsa dancing. As they danced, they slowly fell in love with each other.  
_  
Lizzie looked over at the love of her life and sighed, moving closer to him. She rested her head on his chest and listened to the beating of his heart. She kissed his cheek and told him how much she loved him.

The next morning, Lizzie had to be at work at eight-fifteen. She wasn't a morning person, so she hated waking up early.

As she got dressed, she looked over at Roger - he was sprawled out on the bed, snoring away. Biting her lip to keep from laughing, she kissed his forehead and told him that she would be back that afternoon for lunch. She then crept across the hall to Ming-Na's room and looked at her sleeping baby. She was fast asleep on her back, her thumb in her mouth.

"I'll see you later, baby." Lizzie whispered to her daughter as she exited the room. She slid the loft door closed and headed down the stairs to the busy street before her.

She stepped into her office at exactly eight fifteen. After saying hello to her secretary, Tina, Lizzie walked to her desk and turned on her computer.

"Liz? You have a minute?" her boss, Joel, asked. Lizzie nodded and exited her office. She followed Joel down a long hallway and entered one of the conference rooms. A blond haired woman and a red headed man were sitting in two of the chairs. Lizzie recognized the red headed man as Jeffery Banks - one of the producers and one of Lizzie's good friends.

"Jeffery and Samantha want to pitch a new idea for a TV show for you." Joel told Lizzie as the two of them sat in the chairs across from Jeffery and Samantha.

"Okay. What do you have?" Lizzie asked, getting out a pen and a piece of paper out of her briefcase.

"Picture it - a new reality show where the constants dance with their sisters or brothers." Jeffery said. Lizzie rolled her eyes and looked at Samantha. She had her hair in a ponytail at the base of her neck. She wore a black-and-white blouse with black slacks.

"Jeff, that's one of the worst ideas I've heard in my entire life!" Joel exclaimed. Lizzie didn't know if he was joking or not. Jeffery and Samantha exchanged looks and stormed out of the conference room.

"Joel, is that what you called me in here for?" Lizzie asked as they walked back to Lizzie's office.

"Yeah. I'm really sorry about that." Joel apologized. Lizzie smiled and entered her office.

"Hey, Liz. What are you doing for lunch?" Joel inquired.

"I'm going home for lunch. Why?"

"I was hoping that we could go to the Life and talk." Joel told her, entering the office. Lizzie looked uncomfortable as Joel looked her up and down.

"Joel - I'm sorry. Roger needs me." Lizzie told him, walking behind her desk. Joel followed her and took one of her hands in his.

"Joel - what are you doing?" Lizzie asked as Joel drew her closer to him and put one of his hands up her blouse.

"Joel! Stop it!" Lizzie commanded, feeling him unsnap her bra.

"You're a beautiful girl." Joel whispered in her ear. His breath smelled of alcohol, making Lizzie nervous.

"You know what - I quit!" Lizzie exclaimed, getting a box and placed all of her belongings in it. She then stormed out of the office and out of the building, heading to the nearest subway and headed home.

* * *

"He WHAT?" Roger exclaimed. Lizzie had told her husband what happened at work.

"Roger, it's not a big deal." Lizzie argued, going to her and Roger's room to change into some play clothes. She had offered to take Tracie, Thomas and Ming-Na to the park while the adults were at work.

"Hell, it's a big deal. That son-of-a-bitch was harassing you." Roger put in, his face red.

"Roger, I don't feel like talking about this." Lizzie told him, tears in her eyes. Roger walked over to Lizzie who was sitting on the bed and took her in his arms. Lizzie cried into his shirt. Roger rubbed her back and whispered soothing words to her. After a while, Roger took Lizzie in his arms and rocked her back and forth, soothing her like he would soothe Ming-Na.

"I love you." Roger whispered in Lizzie's hair. She sniffled and wrapped her arms around his neck. Roger breathed in her sweet smell and held onto it. He looked down at Lizzie and kissed the top of her head as he unbuttoned her shirt and put it on the floor. Lizzie moaned with pleasure as he laid her down on the bed and climbed on top of her, removing her bra along with his own shirt. After a while of kissing and touching, Roger removed his jeans as Lizzie took off her skirt and underwear. The two of them laid next to each other, not saying anything. Roger climbed back on top of Lizzie and slipped on a condom before going inside her. Lizzie closed her eyes as Roger kissed her face, her neck, her breasts and worked his way down.

"Mommy? Daddy?" Ming-Na called into the room. Roger and Lizzie quickly put their clothes back on before letting Ming-Na enter the room.

"We going to park?" Ming-Na asked, looking from Lizzie to Roger.

"You know what, sweetie, mommy had a long day at work, so she and daddy are going to have some private time." Lizzie told her daughter, walking over to her and picked her up. Lizzie saw Ming-Na's eyes well up with tears.

"Sweetie, it's time for your nap, anyway." Roger piped up, walking over to his wife and daughter. As Ming-Na protested 'no nap', Roger went to answer the phone.

"Liz, phone." Roger whispered, walking into the nursery. Lizzie nodded and put Ming-Na in her crib, taking her time walking to the phone.

"Hello?" she said into the receiver.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me that Paul was home from Iraq?" Steve asked.

"Hello to you, too." Lizzie mumbled. Luckily, Steve didn't hear her.

"Well, why didn't you?" Steve inquired.

"I wanted it to be a surprise." Lizzie told him, uncertainty in her voice.

"Yeah, right. I'm not gonna believe that bullshit." Steve growled.

"What the hell is your problem?" Lizzie asked, taking the phone in her and Roger's room. Roger had gone to take a shower, shooting Lizzie a pout when she refused.

"I'm just upset that you didn't tell me that you didn't tell me he was here." Steve told her.

"Wait - how do you know that he's home from Iraq?" Lizzie wanted to know.

"Because he's here at my house watching TV with Sara." Steve answered.

"That would explain it." Lizzie muttered.

The two of them ended up talking for another few minutes before deciding that they - all seven of them - should get together for dinner the following evening.

Lizzie hung up the phone and sighed. She walked to Ming-Na's room when she heard singing coming from the bathroom.

"_I am I, Don Quixote,  
The Lord of La Mancha,  
My destiny calls and I go,  
And the wild winds of fortune  
Will carry me onward,  
Oh whithersoever they blow.  
Whithersoever they blow,  
Onward to glory I go!_" Roger sang at the top of his lungs. Lizzie laughed and knocked on the door.

"Come in." Roger told her. Lizzie smiled and slid the door open. She slowly made her way to the shower, stripping off her clothes. She then stepped into the shower and stood across from her hubby.

"Hey." she greeted him, stepping closer to him. He smiled and ran his fingers through her hair as she kissed him on the lips. His hands went up and down her back, massaging it.

"What in the world were you singing?" she asked after a while. Roger smiled and gently squeezed one of her breasts.

"One of my favorite songs from the musical Man of La Mancha." Roger answered, bringing one of her breasts to his mouth and put the nipple to his mouth. He gently sucked on it as Lizzie let out a moan.

The two of them finished their shower and got dressed. Lizzie went to wake Ming-Na up while Roger packed her diaper bag. The three of them were headed over to Steve's house before heading out to the Life for dinner.

Roger was so happy and grateful for everything in his life.


	10. Hanging On For Dear Life

A/N: hey everyone! just writing an author note saying that I will be busy these next few days, so I don't know when chatper 11 of Blue Skies will be up. When I find the time, I will write it, but don't expect an update anytime soon. Glad to see everyone is enjoying this story. Please continue reviewing and reading! Maureen Elphaba Thropp

* * *

CHAPTER TEN  
(chapter title - Hanging On For Dear Life)

_What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say - _  
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Lizzie, Ming-Na and Roger agreed to meet Steve, Sara and Paul at the Life Café at eight o'clock the following evening.

"Lizzie, before we go, I wanted to wish you a happy anniversary." Roger told his wife, gently taking her hand in his. Lizzie brushed a piece of dark hair behind her ear and followed Roger to the couch. Ming-Na was still taking her nap, so the couple didn't want to wake her up just yet.

"Sit down." Roger told her. Lizzie sat upon the couch and watched Roger go into the room that they shared. He brought out his guitar and sat in the chair next to the couch.

"This song is called Your Eyes and I originally wrote this for my wife, Mimi, but I re-wrote it so that it could be for you." Roger explained.

"_Your eyes  
As we said our goodbyes  
Can't get them out of my mind  
And I find I can't hide from your eyes  
The ones that took me by surprise  
The night you came into my life  
Where there's moonlight I see your eyes  
How'd I let you slip away  
When I'm longing so to hold you  
Now I'd die for one more day  
'Cause there's something I should have told you  
Yes, there's something I should have told you  
When I looked into your eyes  
Why does distance make us wise?  
You wee the song all along  
And before the song dies  
I should tell you I should tell you  
I have always loved you  
You can see it in my eyes  
Lizzie._" Roger sang. Lizzie felt tears in her eyes as her wonderful husband sang the sweet words to her.

"Roger. That was the most beautiful thing anyone has ever done for me." Lizzie told him after he was done singing. Roger smiled and kissed her cheek.

After they woke Ming-Na up from her nap, they were on their way to the Life Café when Lizzie got a call on her cell. She excused herself and walked a little slower behind Roger and Ming-Na.

"Hello?" she said into the receiver.

"Lizzie - it's Maureen." Maureen sounded like she was going to cry.

"Hey Maureen. What's wrong?"

"I got a phone call from the hospital - apparently, Mark was taken in after he fell off of his bike in the middle of traffic." Maureen told her.

"Oh my God! Is he going to be okay?" Lizzie inquired. Roger stopped walking and turned around. Lizzie mouthed 'Maureen' to him.

"He's in a coma." Maureen sobbed. Lizzie almost dropped the phone, but instead she fell into his strong arms. He let go of Ming-Na's hand so that he could hold Lizzie.

"We'll be right there. Tell him to hold on." Lizzie told her friend, clicking her phone shut. She then looked into her husband's eyes and sobbed.

"Shh. Shh." Roger soothed, stroking Lizzie's hair. Ming-Na stood by her parents, not really knowing what was going on.

After Lizzie calmed down, she told Roger what was going on with Mark and Maureen.

After calling Steve on his cell phone to tell him that they couldn't make it because something came up. Steve was totally fine with them missing dinner - he said that they could do something tomorrow.

Arriving at the hospital, Lizzie instantly found Maureen with Tracie and Thomas.

"How is he?" Lizzie asked, hugging Maureen.

"You can see him. I'll watch Ming-Na for you." Maureen told her friends. Roger nodded and put an arm around Lizzie's waist as Lizzie told Ming-Na that she and Roger were going to visit Mark and they would be back soon.

"He's in room 1113 B." Maureen said as she and the kids sat down on four of the uncomfortable hospital chairs.

"Thanks." Roger thanked her and led Lizzie to the elevator. They got in and pressed floor number eleven.

They stood in silence, listening to the annoying elevator music. The doors opened on floor eleven and the two of them headed to Mark's room. Lizzie tried so hard to hide her tears, but it looked like that Roger was having a more difficult time.

"Babe, you okay?" Lizzie asked, gently squeezing his hand. Roger drew in a deep breath and nodded his head, kissing Lizzie's temple.

As they entered the room, Roger had tears in his eyes. Lying on the bed before them, was Mark clad in a white hospital gown that was as white as the sheets on top of him. He was hooked up to all sorts of machines that were beeping, buzzing and humming.

"Oh God." Lizzie sobbed as she sat down next to Mark's bed. Roger sat in the chair next to Lizzie and fought back tears.

"I hope he'll be okay." Roger told his wife. Lizzie nodded her head and carefully squeezed one of Mark's hands.

The two of them sat in silence, occasionally talking to the doctor or Maureen and the kids who came to sit with them.

Around midnight, Mark was starting to go downhill. His breathing was slowing and Maureen feared that this would be the end.

Lizzie had always considered Mark to be like another brother to her - he was so kind, warm and often took her out filming with him. He shared stories of Mimi, Angel and Collins - three friends of theirs that they had lost to HIV.

Roger didn't know what he would do if he lost his best friend - he would probably go back to his old ways - shooting himself up, drinking and avoiding everyone. He and Mark had been there for each other through the good times and the bad. They were in each other's weddings and were the godparents of their children. If Mark died, Roger would do anything he could to be with his friend.

At one, the doctor came in and shooed everyone out - even Maureen. Maureen tried to put up a fight, but she was too tired. Roger found his car and gathered everyone in it before driving to the loft.

Lizzie had woken up to make herself some tea at three in the morning when the phone rang. Deciding to let the answering machine get it, Lizzie engrossed herself in a book called _A Streetcar Named Desire_ - her favorite book.

_"Hello, this is Dr. Rowell calling from Bailey Hospital. __Mark Cohen__ listed this number under phone number. I'm calling to say that he's not making progress and we are forced to pull the plug soon…." _


	11. In Funerals and Births

CHAPTER ELEVEN  
(chapter title - In Funerals and Births)

_I did not ask for the life I was given, but it was given nonetheless. And with it, I did my very best--_  
Mr. Eko from LOST

Maureen, Lizzie and Roger got dressed as fast as they could and headed to the hospital. Maureen and Lizzie were in the backseat, crying onto each other. Roger was trying not to cry, but it was hard.

They waited for Joanne to come watch Thomas, Tracie and Ming-Na before taking a cab to the hospital.

Arriving at the hospital, they followed the nurse to Mark's room. It was then that Maureen turned to her friends.

"Would it be okay if I went in first?" Maureen asked. Roger and Lizzie nodded their heads. Maureen smiled sadly and went into Mark's room.

While they waited their turn to see Mark, Lizzie read a novel while Roger wrote in his composition notebook.

"Mr. and Mrs. Davis, Mrs. Cohen wants to talk to you." the nurse at the nurse's station told them. Roger and Lizzie nodded and walked to Mark's hospital room in silence.

Maureen was seated in one of the hospital chairs next to Mark's bed when Lizzie and Roger came into the room.

"Mo, what's wrong?" Lizzie asked, straightening the bottom of her Lion King t-shirt.

"The doctor isn't thinking that Mark is going to make it much longer. She says that there's not much brain activity." Maureen had tears streaming down her cheeks as she told her friends this. Roger walked away from them and disappeared. No matter how much Lizzie called after him, Roger wouldn't come back.

Eight months later, everyone was at the loft, celebrating Roger and Ming-Na's birthdays when the phone rang. Lizzie went to answer the phone while Roger, Joanne, Maureen and everyone else sang Happy Birthday.

"Oh God." Lizzie sobbed, hanging up the phone. All eyes were on her. Maureen walked over to her and hugged Lizzie, stroking her hair.

"What happened, sweetie?" Maureen asked, walking Lizzie over to the couch. Lizzie turned so that she was facing Maureen.

"Maureen - that was the hospital. Mark died." Lizzie told her friend, feeling fresh tears in her eyes. Maureen shook her head, not wanting to believe Lizzie, even though she wanted to.

"You're kidding, right?" Maureen asked. Lizzie shook her head sadly as she felt tears stream down her cheeks. Roger walked over to where Maureen and his wife sat on the couch.

"What happened?" Roger inquired as he sat down next to Lizzie and put an arm around her shoulders.

"I just got off the phone with the hospital - Mark died." Lizzie repeated. Roger shook his head, not wanting to believe Lizzie. His best friend couldn't be dead - there was no possible way. Maureen had come to accept that her husband was gone and there was nothing she could do about it.

After a while of crying together, Lizzie, Roger and Maureen took a cab down to the hospital while Steve, Paul and Sara watched the kids and cleaned up the loft a bit.

Maureen went in to say a few last words to her husband before he went to the morgue. Cindy, Mark's sister hugged Maureen and told her that she would always be there for Maureen, no matter what.

Roger, Maureen and Lizzie went to work on the memorial service while Sara watched Ming-Na, Tracie and Thomas. Both Steve and Paul were working, so Sara came over to the loft to watch the kids. Joanne stopped by with her four-year-old son that she adopted named Adam. He had light brown hair, hazel eyes and skin that was black as night.

One night as the nine of them watched a movie and had pizza, there was a knock on the door. Roger went to get it and slid the door open.

"Is Lizzie Dexter here?" the person - a blond haired woman - asked.

"Yeah, come in." Roger told her, but she shook her head.

A few minutes later, Lizzie came to the door.

"I'm Lizzie. Who's asking?" she asked, folding her arms over her chest.

"It's about your brother, Evan." the woman told her. Evan was Lizzie's oldest brother - he was in his forties and wanted nothing to do with his family after Lizzie was born.

"What about him?" Lizzie wanted to know.

"He was killed in a car crash this afternoon." the woman told her. Lizzie felt tears in her eyes - Evan was twenty-two when Lizzie was born, so they hadn't been close.

"Thank you." Lizzie told the woman before closing the door behind her.

"Well, my day just got so much better." Lizzie told the group, her voice dripping in sarcasm.

"What?" Maureen asked, looking up from her pasta. Lizzie had spent the entire day making pasta and meatballs - Roger and her favorite dish - to share with her Bohemian family.

"My oldest brother, Evan, was killed in a car crash today. I really didn't know him, so I don't even care!" Lizzie exclaimed, walking to the room she shared with Roger and slammed the door shut. Locking it, she felt tears in her eyes and threw herself down on the bed.

Lizzie ended up staying in the master bedroom for the rest of the night, refusing to talk to anyone - even Roger. She couldn't tell him about Evan - it was too soon. She remembered Paul telling her that Evan was a stuck-up little prince who always got what he wanted, even if it was something that he already had.

The memorial service for Mark took place on Halloween. The kids didn't understand why they couldn't wear their costumes to church. They also didn't understand why they couldn't go Trick-or-Treating later that night.

At the memorial service, Roger performed two songs that he wrote for Mark and performed one of them with Lizzie called 'For Good'. After they performed the duet, everyone said some loving words about Mark.

**Lizzie -** I would say that Mark is like another brother - he was always there for me - through the good times and the bad. I got to know him, his wife and their two children very well. I know that he will be missed.

**Roger -** I can't believe that my best friend is gone. I remember the first time we met - I was performing at CBGB's with my band, The Well Hungarians. After we were done playing, a scrawny kid carrying a camera came over to us and wanted to interview me for his film class. I said what the heck and we've been best friends ever since.

**Joanne - **I can think of one word that can describe Mark and that's compassion. He's compassionate about everything - his wife, his kids and his friends. I remember when we first met, we got off to a rocky start, but we became fast friends. It's going to be hard, but we've got to move on. I know that he will always be missed.

**Benny -** Mark. What is there to say? He was a quiet, kind, sensitive guy who always carried his camera with him everywhere. He was my friend and I most definitely considered him my brother. Sometimes, we didn't get along, but sometimes we did. I will always miss him.

**Maureen -** I believe it was Mr. Eko from the TV show, LOST who said: I did not ask for the life I was given, but it was given nonetheless. And with it, I did my very best. I know Mark lived by these words - or tried to. He was the best husband and father anyone could ask for. He was there for our kids weather it was a hockey game, football game, swimming, soccer game or horseback riding lesson. He had everything going for him and now that he's gone, I don't know what's going to happen. I'm going to miss him like crazy.

After everyone had said a little something, Roger, Maureen, Lizzie, Benny, Paul, Steve, Joanne, Sara, Tracie, Thomas, Ming-Na and Adam took the stage to sing a song that Roger wrote called Seasons of Love. Lizzie took the first solo while Benny took the second. By the chorus, they had everyone in the audience clapping and singing along.

After the memorial service, Roger, Lizzie and Ming-Na headed back to the loft to quickly change into their Halloween costumes and go Trick-or-Treating before the night was up. Roger was dressed as a vampire, Lizzie was a butterfly and Ming-Na was a lion.

This was the happiest Roger had felt in a long time.

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A/N: hey everyone! i know the ending is lame, but it's what i get for typing this at the last minute (just kidding). this story will be up and running in no time - i already have a sequel planned, so no worries. hope everyone is enjoying this as much as i am enjoying writing this story. remember, if you read REVIEW - please. thanks - Maureen Elphaba Thropp

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	12. Blue Skies

CHAPTER TWELEVE  
(chapter title - Blue Skies)

_Thank you for blue skies  
When my head is down you remind me to look up  
And thank you for all those times  
You believed when others couldn't see  
Oh without you where would I be? -  
_Diana DeGarmo "Blue Skies"

_Flashback:_

_It was a beautiful summer's day on the small Montana ranch where Lizzie and Roger were visiting Roger's older brother, Lucas and his wife, Stephanie. Roger and Lizzie decided to tack up two of the horses and have a picnic lunch on the prairie. Lizzie and Stephanie went to work making lunch while Lucas and Roger tacked up two Appaloosas - a gentle Leopard Appaloosa mare named Striptease and a large blanket Appaloosa gelding named Professor Bob._

_Half an hour later, Lizzie and Roger were mounted on Striptease and Professor Bob. Lizzie had the picnic lunch in her saddlebags while Roger had the extra halters and lead ropes attached to his saddlebags._

_They found a nice little place on the prairie and decided to dismount Striptease and Professor Bob. Lizzie set up the picnic while Roger tied up both horses to a nearby tree stump._

_As they ate their lunch, Lizzie looked up at the sky - it was a beautiful robin's egg blue. There were no clouds in sight._

_"Rog - what do you think blue skies mean?" Lizzie asked, leaning back on her elbows._

_"I think that they mean new beginnings. You know, it rains and then the sun comes out and everything is good again." Roger answered, taking a bite of his apple. Lizzie went from leaning back on her elbows to lying on her back. She took out her small digital camera and took a picture of a hawk as it circled above the picnic area then headed towards the mountains._

_Twenty minutes later, the two of them headed back to the ranch, talking and laughing the entire way._

Present:

Lizzie headed back to the loft, humming various songs. It was hard to go back to the loft after being at Mark's funeral in October. Maureen and the twins had moved to California, where Maureen had gotten a job as an actress. Joanne and Adam moved to Washington, DC, where Joanne worked as a lawyer in one of the city's top firms. As for Lizzie and Roger, they found out that Lizzie was expecting another baby, probably in the spring. Lizzie had spent the whole day with her friend from high school, Kris, getting baby things, so they were exhausted.

"Hi mommy!" six-year-old Ming-Na greeted her mother as Lizzie and Kris walked in the door.

"Hi sweetie. Where's daddy?" Lizzie asked, putting down one of the bags and hugged her daughter.

"Sleeping." Ming-Na answered. Roger had gotten a job as a bouncer at a nightclub, so he slept most of the day. When he wasn't sleeping, he was playing with Ming-Na, writing songs and spoiling his wife with little money they had.

"Okay. I won't disturb him." Lizzie said, looking over at Kris. "Ming-Na, sweetie, this is my friend Kris. Kris, this is Roger and my daughter, Ming-Na." Lizzie introduced Kris to Ming-Na.

"You're so cute." Kris told Ming-Na. Ming-Na looked up at her mother, a confused expression on her face.

"She's a little shy, but she's working on it." Lizzie explained as she put things in the nursery. Lizzie heard Roger's snores as she passed by the bedroom that they shared. Quietly, she slid the door open and walked inside, closing it quietly behind her. He was fast asleep on his stomach, his hands under the pillow. Lizzie also saw that he was shirtless, which made her smile. Walking over to him, she took off her sweatshirt, shirt, bra, jeans and underwear before climbing in next to him. His skin felt warm next to hers. She kissed his shoulder and carefully turned him on his side.

"Lizzie?" he croaked, opening an eye.

"Yeah?"

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing."

"Mm-hmm."

"Roger, could we get dressed and go for a walk? There's something I need to talk to you about." she told him, getting out of bed and put her clothes back on. Today, she was wearing a light purple sweatshirt with Lansing Community College in white letters and a pair of light blue jeans. Under her sweatshirt, she wore a bright orange shirt with a jack-o-lantern on it.

The two of them dressed in silence before grabbing their coats - Lizzie's a tan winter jacket with white faux fur around the cuffs and inside it. Roger grabbed his usual black leather jacket and the green hat that Lizzie had knit for him. She had knitted herself a purple hat.

"Kris, would you mind watching Ming-Na while Roger and I go for a walk?" Lizzie asked her friend. Kris nodded and went to go play with Ming-Na.

Roger and Lizzie exited the loft and walked down Queen's Street, holding hands and not saying anything until Lizzie put on her black gloves.

"Am I in trouble?" Roger asked after a while. Lizzie shook her head and took Roger's hand in hers.

"What I wanted to talk to you about was that I got a phone call last night." she really didn't know how to tell him.

"What's wrong?"

"Roger - Paul was killed last night in a car accident." There. Lizzie had told him. She felt tears stream down her cheeks as Roger pulled her to the side and hugged her.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"No. Not right now. I need to go to the funeral alone - it's for family members only. I'm sorry."

"When's the funeral?"

"A week from Monday. I also got a job, but we're going to have to move."

"Where?"

"Michigan. It's in a city called East Lansing."

"When?"

"In about a month. We've already got a house and everything we need. Ming-Na's already enrolled in one of the elementary schools nearby. It's a great job and I really didn't want to pass up the opportunity."

"What is it?"

"Teaching kids about producing, filming and directing their own shows for the school's television programs that are provided."

"I'm happy that you found a job, honey, but I really don't want to move to Michigan."

"There's no reason to stay in New York. Steve and Sara moved to Arizona, so I have no family here. Your brother lives in Montana and your sister lives in Hawaii. I've made my point."

"But New York is my life! I've lived here since I was eighteen. I met April and Mimi here. I met my Bohemian family here. Everything that I know is here in New York."

"I know you feel that way, but I already accepted the job offer."

There was a moment of silence before anyone spoke again.

"When is the soonest we can put the loft up for sale?" Roger asked.

"I'm meeting with the realtor tomorrow. I'm not sure."

"I'm working tomorrow. Are you going to be okay by yourself with the realtor?"

"Yeah. Kris'll probably take Ming-Na to the park and spend the day with her."

"I forgot to ask - how do you know Kris?"

"We met in high school." Lizzie answered.

They were silent on the rest of the walk home. Lizzie felt good to get the moving thing off her chest - she thought that Roger would put up a fight, but he didn't.

That night, as they lay in bed, all Lizzie could think about was her unborn baby. She was nine weeks along and doing well. If she did her calculations right, she would be due in the spring of next year. She smiled and snuggled closer to Roger, wrapping an arm around his waist. Whispering 'I love you' in Roger's ear, she put her head on the pillow and fell asleep.


	13. New Beginnings: Part Two

A/N: hey everyone! it's great to be back! i'm sorry i haven't updated Blue Skies as much as i would've liked, but our cable was out for two days in a row and stuff has been busy around here. there will be more updates of b.s., so don't worry! hope you enjoy chapter 13! love, peace and happiness Maureen Elphaba Thropp.

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CHAPTER THIRTEEN  
(chapter title - New Beginnings: Part Two)

_There are 2 ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is - _  
Albert Einstein

Seven months later, Roger, Ming-Na, Lizzie and the newest addition, Marcus arrived at their new home - a brown Cape Cod with a very small front yard with four trees. As Roger pulled the moving van into the driveway, he saw that the previous owners had left a wooden bench sitting out on the front porch.

"Well, this is where we're going to be living for a while." Roger said as he stepped out of the truck before helping Lizzie and his new son, Marcus Christopher - born six months ago. Ming-Na jumped down from the truck and ran to the back door.

As the three of them stepped into the house, Roger took a minute to look around. When they entered, there was a living room with a kitchen and a dining table. As they continued to walk through the house, they discovered that there were two bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs, a large living room, another bedroom and a bathroom, along with a computer room on the main level. When they ventured downstairs, there was a laundry room, a large rec room with a bedroom attached to it. The bathroom attached to the bedroom was small - just a shower, toilet and sink.

"This is an amazing house." Lizzie said, climbing the stairs back up to the main level. There was even a porch with a grill on it and a large backyard. Roger had gone out to the truck to get the stuff while Ming-Na and Marcus took a nap on the couch in the living room. The previous owners had left all the furniture, including the pool table downstairs, so they had nothing to worry about.

Around six o'clock, when Roger had gone to return the truck, there was a knock on the door. Curious, Lizzie went to answer it. A woman with long strawberry blond hair stood in the doorway. She looked to be about Lizzie's age and height. She had piercing hazel eyes hid behind multi-colored glasses. She wore a bright yellow sweatshirt that had 'Arizona' written across the front in white letters and dark blue jeans.

"Hi! I'm Kelli Robbins - your next door neighbor." the woman spoke up after a while.

"I'm Lizzie Davis. Come on in." Lizzie told the woman. She noticed that Kelli was carrying a large package.

"I hope y'all love the house." Kelli said. Lizzie nearly laughed when Kelli spoke in a southern drawl.

"We do. It's beautiful." Lizzie said, looking through the cupboards in the kitchen. The owners had left the glasses, plates, silverware and everything else in the kitchen.

"Who would leave everything here?" Lizzie asked herself. She heard Marcus stir and went to comfort him. Gently picking him up, she woke Ming-Na up and took them to their rooms - Marcus' upstairs with Roger and Lizzie while Ming-Na was in the room across from the master bedroom.

"The previous owners." Kelli answered, her voice low, as if the owners were there. Lizzie turned around and looked at the other woman.

"What do you mean?" Lizzie asked, turning the baby monitor on so that she could hear Marcus.

"They had a foreclosure on their house and they had a day to move out. They couldn't take everything with them, so they left it here." Kelli explained. Lizzie felt a knot in the pit of her stomach - how awful.

Lizzie opened the present from Kelli - a box of homemade cookies and a card welcoming them to the neighborhood.

Roger arrived home twenty minutes later, just as Kelli left the house. He kissed his wife and children before going to use the bathroom.

"Mommy, can we get a puppy?" Ming-Na asked a week later. Lizzie looked at Roger, who was feeding Marcus.

"Honey, I'm not sure a puppy is in the cards right now." Roger answered before Lizzie could say anything. Just then, there was a knock at the door. Lizzie went to answer it and saw Kelli standing at the door wearing a smile a mile wide.

"Hey Liz." Kelli greeted her friend. Lizzie smiled back and motioned for Kelli to come in. She smiled and entered the house, smiling at Roger.

"So, what's up?" Lizzie asked her friend. Kelli shrugged her shoulders and smiled at Ming-Na. Ming-Na looked at Kelli for a minute then turned her attention back to her eggs.

"I was wondering if all y'all would like to come to where I work and see the puppies. One of the dogs had them six weeks ago and there's three that aren't taken." Kelli told the group. Lizzie looked at Roger, who looked back at her.

"Yeah, we would love to come look at the puppies. Give us ten minutes to get ready." Roger spoke up. Kelli nodded and headed out of the house and walked to hers two doors down.

Exactly ten minutes later, everyone was ready to go. They all piled into Kelli's car. Surprisingly, everyone fit. Kelli kept the radio turned to talk show on the radio. Roger, who was sitting in front, discussed the show with Kelli while Lizzie kept Ming-Na and Marcus entertained.

They reached TLC Acres - the place where Kelli worked. Turning off the ignition, Kelli led the group inside. She stopped to pet a calico cat that was sitting on the table in the waiting area.

"This is Daisy Mae. Y'all wait here while I go get June." Kelli opened the door to the kennel and disappeared. Lizzie sat down on one of the chairs in the reception area while Roger took Ming-Na and Marcus to see the fish that were swimming in the tank. Daisy Mae jumped off the counter and rubbed against Lizzie's legs. Lizzie smiled and looked at the cat - she was mostly black with white around her face and paws. The only part of her that was brown was her tail - the whole thing.

"Hello. You must be the family that's interested in one of the puppies." A female voice told the group. Lizzie nodded and stood up.

"I'm Lizzie Davis and this is my family - my husband, Roger and our children - Ming-Na and Marcus." Lizzie introduced her family.

"I'm June Willis - the owner of TLC Acres. Would you like a tour now or later?" June asked. Lizzie looked at her husband.

"Later, please. We would like to see the puppies, if that's okay." Roger spoke up. June smiled and took Ming-Na's hand.

"This is the main area where we keep our boarders - right now, we have Rocky, Balboa, Champion, Otis, Lucky, Lacey and BJ." June pointed out the dogs as they passed. Ming-Na started to walk up to Balboa when he growled at her. She ran and hid behind Lizzie, tears streaming down her face. Lizzie picked up her daughter and told her everything was okay. June then pointed out the laundry room and opened the door so that they could walk through to the back of the building. It was a lot quieter back there than it was out front.

"Aww." Lizzie said when she saw the puppies. They were in a large room where glass windows separated them from the outside. June opened the door as Lizzie set Ming-Na down. She instantly ran inside and was bombarded by puppies - all chocolate. Roger smiled and sat down on the rocker in the corner with Marcus while Lizzie and Ming-Na looked at the puppies. June entered the room and told them that Kelli had picked out names for each one, based on their personality. She then picked up a puppy with a green collar around its neck.

"This is the one I'm keeping - Kelli calls her 'Fiona', but I call her 'Rose.' We decided to put her name together - Fiona Rose." June explained, handing the squirmy puppy to Ming-Na. She smiled and looked at the puppy as if it was a brand-new doll.

"Who are the other ones?" Lizzie asked, picking up a light chocolate puppy with an orange collar around its neck. At that moment, Kelli entered the room.

"There are six boys and three girls - Buddha, Bubbah, Mr. Cute, Teddy, RJ and Java are the boys. Chocolate, Molly and Fiona Rose are the girls." Kelli explained.

"Which one am I holding?" Lizzie asked, showing Kelli the pup in the orange collar.

"That's Buddha." Kelli told her, smiling. Two of the puppies started play fighting and Ming-Na went to separate them. Roger laughed from where he was sitting.

"Ming-Na, sweetie, that's how they play." Roger told her as Lizzie put Buddha down so that she could take her son from Roger. She went to sit in the rocker with her son.

"Which ones aren't spoken for?" Roger asked, picking up a puppy wearing a dark blue collar.

"Bubbah, Java and Molly." Kelli answered. Roger turned to his wife.

"How much are they?" Lizzie asked. Roger put the wiggly puppy in the blue collar down and laughed when three of the puppies started biting at the bottom of his jeans.

"Between seven and nine hundred." June answered quickly.

"We don't have the money right now. Is there any way that you can hold one of them for us?" Lizzie asked. June nodded and smiled.

"Which one do you want, Ming-Na?" Lizzie asked.

"MollyJavaBubbah!" Ming-Na announced. Roger laughed and picked up a puppy wearing a red collar.

"Which one do you think has the best personality out of the three that are left?" Roger asked, holding the puppy wearing the red collar to his chest. The puppy licked the end of Roger's nose and let out a little bark.

"I would say that the one in the blue collar-"

"Bubbah." Kelli interrupted.

"Has the best personality." June continued. Roger put down the puppy in the red collar and picked up the puppy in the blue collar. June was right - he was calm, sweet and seemed very loving.

"We'll take Bubbah." Roger told her.

"Are you going to keep his name or change it?" June asked, leading the way out of the puppy area and to the reception area.

"What do you think, Ming-Na? Do you like Bubbah as a name?" Roger asked his daughter.

"I like Nichole!" Ming-Na answered.

"Honey, this is a boy puppy." Lizzie spoke up.

"What about Prince?" Roger suggested. Ming-Na smiled and nodded her head very fast. June laughed and had Roger fill out the papers while Kelli put Prince back with his brothers and sisters. She had become attached to these puppies and one by one; they were going to their new homes.

Three weeks later, Lizzie went to pick up Prince while Roger and Ming-Na went puppy supply shopping. Kelli had offered to watch Marcus while the rest of the family was out.  
On the way to TLC, Lizzie plugged in her iPod to her adaptor and scrolled until she found her play list called 'Random Songs'. As the first song played, all she could think about was getting her new puppy home and settling in for the night.

She reached TLC just as the ninth song was starting to begin. She saw the three Frisians - Donna, Nellie and Wilma - grazing in the front pasture. They lifted their heads as she pulled into the long driveway and found a parking spot. Turning off the engine, she got out of the car and closed the door behind her. Walking to the office, she was starting to have second thoughts about having a dog - she had a baby she needed to take care of and all four of them were out of the house most of the day, leaving the puppy alone.

"Hey Daisy Mae." Lizzie greeted the cat as she entered the reception area. There was a black and white cat sleeping in the only chair in the reception area. There was no sign of June anywhere.

"Hello?" Lizzie called. The dogs that were being boarded began to bark, startling Lizzie as she walked through the large building. She looked in the puppy room - no June, but there was a girl in there that Lizzie didn't recognize. She was pale-skinned and wore a black long-sleeved shirt with a cartoon character Lizzie didn't recognize on the back of it. She also wore black jeans. The girl had straight red hair that went to the tops of her shoulders. As she turned around, Lizzie saw that she had each of her eyebrows pierced and had greenish-blue eyes. She smiled and motioned for Lizzie to come inside.

"Hello. I'm Lizzie Davis and I'm here to pick up Prince." Lizzie told the girl.

"Are you a boarder?" she asked.

"No, I'm not. Prince - aka Bubbah - is my puppy." Lizzie explained.

"Oh. He's almost done. We - June, Allie and I - were giving the puppies baths. I'm Selena." She said. Lizzie smiled and shook Selena's hand.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Lizzie asked, looking down at her clothes - she had on an old red shirt, jeans torn at the knees and black boots. She and Kelli had planned to go horseback riding that afternoon, but since Roger and Ming-Na were out, she had offered to baby-sit.

"Nope. We're almost done." another girl - most likely Allie - spoke up. She was at the sink at the back, rinsing a puppy. Allie was tall - most likely 6'2 and had straight brown hair with blond highlights in it worn in a braid. She wore green overalls with a red, white and blue striped t-shirt on underneath it. On her feet, she wore a pair of brown workboots.

"Here's your little Princey." June said, handing Prince over to Lizzie. Lizzie smiled as the puppy gave her kiss after kiss.

"He's such a sweetie." Lizzie observed. She laughed as he let out a little bark.

"Come with me and we can get you set." June said, leading the way to the reception area. Lizzie followed obediently, smiling when Prince licked her face.

Lizzie paid for Prince and waved goodbye to June, reassuring her that she would take care of Prince. On the weekends, she was interested in taking a horseback riding class. June had an old mare that needed to be ridden once a week and that she would be safe for Lizzie to ride. Lizzie thanked June and headed back to the car with Prince wiggling wildly.

"You're a squirmy thing, aren't you?" Lizzie asked the puppy, who yapped a response. Lizzie smiled and put him in the front seat as she got into the driver's seat. Turning on the ignition, she backed the car out of the driveway and headed home. Prince had fallen asleep as Lizzie pulled into the driveway. She saw Roger's car in the driveway, which meant that they were home. Carefully picking up the sleeping puppy, Lizzie headed into the house.

"Hello?" Lizzie called. She heard Roger from the study yell out a string of curse words. Lizzie rolled her eyes and carried Prince into the house.

"Hun, I'm home." Lizzie told her husband, who looked over at her.

"Hey babe. I'm trying to set up this stupid computer so that I can get started working." Roger said, smiling. As a musician, he had bought a song-writing program and wanted to put it on the computer as soon as possible.

"Can that wait until later?" Lizzie asked, adjusting her position on the squirming puppy.

"Yes, it can." Roger answered, walking over to Lizzie and kissed her forehead. That's when he noticed Prince.

"Hey little guy. Welcome to your new home." Roger told the puppy, carefully taking him from Lizzie.

"Where are Ming-Na and Marcus?" Lizzie inquired.

"Marcus is taking a nap and Ming-Na's playing in her room." Roger answered, kissing Lizzie on the lips. She smiled and broke away from Roger.

Making her way up the stairs, Lizzie made her way to Ming-Na's bedroom. The door was open a little bit and Lizzie could see that Ming-Na was playing school with her toys.

"Ming, sweetie, the new puppy is here." Lizzie gently told her daughter. Ming-Na looked up from her playing and followed Lizzie downstairs. Roger was setting up Prince's kennel and his bed when Lizzie and Ming-Na entered the room. Prince was napping on his puppy bed. Marcus was sitting in his baby chair, babbling away happily.

"Prince has been asleep since you went to get Ming-Na." Roger whispered, standing up and walked over to Lizzie. Lizzie smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist, drawing him close to her.

Ming-Na played with Prince for a while before Lizzie suggested that she took a nap. While Roger changed Marcus, Lizzie put her daughter down for a nap.

As soon as her daughter was asleep, Lizzie exited the room and headed downstairs. Kelli had gone home to check on her dogs - fifteen-year-old Lucky and five-year-old Zoë. She and Lizzie had planned to go horseback riding sometime that afternoon, probably after the kids woke up from their naps and had some lunch.

Half an hour later, Lizzie and Kelli were on their way to Sundance Riding Stables. Kelli volunteered for the Haunted Hayride every Halloween since she was a teenager. Now, in her early thirties, she still enjoyed doing it.

The two of them signed up for a private trail ride and were assigned their horses - Lizzie's was a pure slate-gray Arabian gelding named Lucas and Kelli's was a pure black Morgan mare named Libby. The two women headed their horses onto the trail for some bonding and talking.

"What were the people like that lived in the house before us?" Lizzie asked as the two of them eased their horses out of the trot.

"They were nice people - an older couple - Susan and Larry Foster. Larry got sick and that's when everything went to hell - leave it." Kelli yanked up on Libby's reins. The mare had gotten into some grass and decided to sneak a quick bite when no one was watching.

"When Larry died, Susan couldn't continue to pay for the house and eventually, the bank foreclosed it and put her in a retirement home." Kelli continued, nudging Libby into a bigger walk.

"That's awful." Lizzie said after a moment of silence. Kelli nodded her head and turned Libby around, motioning for Lizzie to do the same.

After getting cleaned up, the two women went to Pete's Fried Chicken for lunch. Kelli told Lizzie more about the couple who lived in the house before Lizzie and her family moved in. The couple had four children, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Kelli remembered the driveway stuffed with cars for every Christmas and Thanksgiving. When the children were younger, they trick-or-treated with Kelli's daughter, who was a freshman in high school.

"I haven't met your daughter. I would like to." Lizzie spoke up, wiping her fingers on her napkin. Kelli took a sip of her Coke and swallowed.

"I'm afraid that won't happen any time soon - she was killed in a car crash - along with her father. It happened last spring." Kelli responded sadly. Lizzie felt tears in her eyes as she looked at the woman sitting across from her.

"I'm so sorry." Lizzie apologized.

"It's okay - you didn't know." Kelli told her friend, reaching across the table and patted her hand.

The two of them finished their lunch in silence before heading back to their houses. Lizzie started her first day of teaching the next day, which she was excited and nervous about at the same time, but she wouldn't let it show.

That night, as she and Roger laid next to each other, Lizzie felt like she couldn't sleep. Adjusting her position, she rested her head on Roger's chest and let out a deep sigh. Roger lifted his head off of the pillow and turned on the lamp on the nightstand.

"Liz, you okay?" Roger asked. Lizzie nodded and brushed her hair out of her face.

"I can't sleep." Lizzie confessed. Roger kissed her forehead and wrapped his arms around her tiny waist.

"I think I'm going to go watch some TV, if that's okay." Lizzie told her husband. Roger nodded and turned off the lamp.

"Don't stay up too late - both of us have work tomorrow." Roger reminded her. He had gotten a job at the school where Lizzie was teaching as the theatre and music teacher.

"I know." Lizzie told him, smiling as she put on her green robe. Making her way out of the room they shared, she headed down the stairs and walked through the dining room to get to the living room. There was a large plasma screen TV waiting for Lizzie. She smiled and sat down in the brown lazy boy that Roger had brought from home. Making herself comfortable, she turned on the TV and looked at the middle of the room where Prince was sleeping. He was asleep on his back, all four paws in the air. She smiled and clicked the 'My DVR' button of the remote. Scrolling through the free movies, she saw that her favorite movie - Newsies - was on. She watched fifteen minutes of it before falling asleep in front of the TV.

Lizzie awoke in her bed, completely naked. Confused, she reached for her glasses and looked at her iHome clock - 2:22 AM. Moaning, she turned on her side and saw Roger smiling at her. She felt his large hands going up and down her back, ever so gently. Lizzie smiled and kissed him on the lips, her hands on either side of his face. Roger pulled her on top of him and Lizzie felt him go inside of her.

"Rog, I'm not in the mood tonight - I'm just really tired." Lizzie told him, removing his hands from her breasts. Roger stroked her hair and kissed her face all over. Lizzie laid back down and felt Roger lay next to her. She removed her glasses and fell asleep.

The next morning at 6:00 AM, Lizzie was up and ready to go. Roger was changing Marcus while Ming-Na slept. Since she didn't work today, Kelli was on her way over to take Ming-Na to school then was going to drop Marcus off at daycare before taking Lucky to his vet's appointment. She would be taking Prince with her, which relieved a lot of stress from the Davis family.

At noon, Lizzie got a phone call on her cell - Lucky had cancer and had to be put down. There was nothing the vet could do, except put the elderly dog out of his misery. Lizzie felt tears in her eyes as she listened to the message. Roger returned to the table that they were sitting at, smiling, but his smile faded when he saw Lizzie's sad face. She shook her head as he pushed her food towards her - a sub with everything on it, a fruit cup and a half gallon of chocolate milk - her favorite lunch.

"What's wrong?" Roger asked as Lizzie hung up her cell. She repeated the message back to Roger, who fought back tears.

"I have an idea - I'm not sure if Ming-Na will like it or not, but what about if we give Prince to Kelli?" Roger suggested. Lizzie shook her head, feeling strands of hair come out of the braid she had it in.

Lunch ended and the couple went their separate ways - Roger to the Arts Wing and Lizzie to the Multi-Media Wing. She let out a deep breath as she searched for 1112 B. Finding it, she took another deep breath and opened the door. The room was dark and silent, which frightened Lizzie a bit. Usually after lunch, a bunch of kids were in the room. Flipping on the light, Lizzie walked into the room and saw a group of kids standing at the teacher's desk, smiling and had a large chocolate cake on the desk.

"Aww. Is this for me?" Lizzie asked, looking at the cake. It had light blue frosting on it that read 'Welcome to the class, Mrs. Davis'. Lizzie was touched that these kids would go and do something so sweet like that. One of the girls took off the lid of the cake while a boy went and got napkins and plastic silverware. Lizzie carefully cut a piece for each student then a piece for herself. She got a piece that read 'Mrs. Davis'. She smiled and took a bite of cake - she was in heaven.

As she continued to eat her cake, she took role and went over the rules of the class, what the homework would be like and how she would grade each student. As she was telling the homework at the end of class, Roger smiled and entered the room. Lizzie smiled and let him in.

"Class, this is my husband, Roger. Remember, Jose, you were asking if I was single - well, this is my hubby." Lizzie smiled at him and kissed the end of his nose.

"Mrs. D, you got it goin on!" one of the boys, Daniel, exclaimed. Everyone burst out laughing, even Roger.

"I recognize him - he's my theatre teacher! He's so cute!" a girl, Rachel, spoke up.

"Thank you. I just came here to speak to my wife, privately." Roger told the class. Lizzie was confused as he led her to the hallway away from the class.

"Rog, what's wrong?" Lizzie asked as they sat down on a bench outside of a classroom. She could tell that something was bothering him.

"I got a call from the daycare where Marcus is at - they had to take him to the hospital. The kids were in a combined classroom where there's a pet rabbit in the room. Anyway, the rabbit got out and it bit Marcus - he has to have at least six stitches and a rabies shot." Roger told her, his voice grim. Lizzie let out a gasp and shook her head.

"Please let this be a dream or something." Lizzie whispered as tears came to her eyes. She felt Roger take her in his strong arms and rock her back and forth. The bell must've rang because there was noise all around them - students talking, lockers slamming, cell phones going off and more racket than Lizzie could handle. She got up from the bench and walked back towards her classroom. Her students were still there.

"Read pages 1-17 in the book I gave you and write a report about what you read. That's all." Lizzie told her students, gathering her stuff and headed out the door. One of the girls, Amanda, came up to Lizzie and hugged her. Lizzie smiled and hugged her back, smiling as kids said that they would see her tomorrow and that their reports would be done. Lizzie thanked them and walked back to the bench were Roger was, but didn't see him. Sighing, she headed out to the staff parking lot when someone called her name. Turning around, she saw Mr. Grant, the principal and a boy in a wheelchair come up to them.

"I just wanted to wish you a happy first day and hope to see you tomorrow." Grant told her. Lizzie nodded and continued looking for her husband.

"There he is." the boy in the wheelchair pointed. Roger was standing near the window, looking out at the students walking to their cars or rides.

"Thank you - uh -" Lizzie totally blanked on Mr. Grant's son's name.

"Adam." he told her.

"Thank you, Adam." Lizzie thanked the young man. Adam smiled and wheeled in the opposite direction.

Lizzie and Roger drove to the hospital in complete silence. Lizzie called Kelli to see if she could pick Ming-Na up and meet them at the hospital. Kelli said that she would and that they would be there shortly.

The Davis' arrived fifteen minutes later. Lizzie instantly went to the reception desk and asked were Marcus Davis was. The nurse told her he was in the Emergency Room, getting his stitches and should be done shortly. When Marcus was done with the stitches, the ER doctor would give him his rabies shot then he could go home. Lizzie felt like crying when she heard all of what was going on. Roger put an arm around her shoulders and led her to the Emergency Room. They sat on a bench under a TV that was playing an episode of Spongbob Squarepants with the sound off. Kelli and Ming-Na arrived a short while later and instantly found the Davis', snuggled together and crying.

"Daddy no cry." Ming-Na told Roger. He smiled and scooped her onto his lap when a nurse called out Lizzie's name. Swallowing hard, she followed the nurse to a crowded hallway. She heard Marcus screaming at the top of his lungs and Lizzie instantly rushed to his side.

"Hi baby. It's okay. Mommy's here." Lizzie soothed him, looking at the nurse. She nodded, knowing that Lizzie wanted to hold him.

"Be careful of his stitches and his shot." the nurse warned. Lizzie nodded and promised that she would be careful. Lizzie saw where Marcus had his stitches - right above his left eyebrow. His shot was on his right forearm, covered in a Barney band-aid.

"How do they know that you love Barney?" Lizzie asked, her voice shaking. She carefully hugged her little boy and looked for somewhere that they could sit.

After filling out a mountain of paperwork and getting medicine, Lizzie, Roger, Ming-Na and Marcus headed home. Marcus was given some medication while Roger made dinner. Lizzie put Marcus down for a nap then went and sat on the blue couch. She curled into a ball and started sobbing.

"Go play, Ming-Na." Roger told his daughter. She nodded and headed upstairs without any questions.

"Lizzie, honey. Shh. It's okay." Roger soothed, taking Lizzie in his arms. She continued crying as Roger rubbed her back and ran his fingers through her hair. He began singing 'I'm With You', but Lizzie cut him off. He rocked her back and forth, ever so slowly, just wanting to soothe her as much as possible.

He finally talked Lizzie into taking a hot bath and taking a nap. As she gathered clothes together, she hummed Seize the Day from Newsies. She had always loved that song - it calmed her down and made her happy.

After taking an hour-long bath, Lizzie changed into a pink shirt that read 'Could You Use That In A Sentence?' when she saw The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee in New York while she was pregnant with Marcus and a pair of pink pajama bottoms. Making herself comfortable, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

"OH MY GOD! SHIT! BAD DOG! LIZZIE!" Roger yelled up the stairs. Lizzie, still groggy from sleep, threw on her fuzzy slippers and robe before going down the stairs. Stifling a yawn, she made her way to where Roger was. He was standing in the family room, hands on his hips.

"What's wrong?" Lizzie asked, sleepily.

"This monster peed and pooped all over the fucking rug!" Roger exclaimed, his face red with anger. Prince was standing in a corner, whimpering and scared. Lizzie picked him up and soothed him, letting him know that he was okay.

"Rog, he's just a puppy. He doesn't know any better." Lizzie told Roger, going to the kitchen to get paper towels and the cleaning solution. She put Prince back in his kennel while she cleaned up his mess. Roger still didn't look happy.

When she was done cleaning, Lizzie washed her hands and went back upstairs to finish taking her nap. Sometimes, she just wanted to shut the world out, but that couldn't happen.

After an hour of sleeping, Lizzie headed downstairs to see what the rest of her family was doing. Roger was warming up dinner while Ming-Na colored at the kitchen counter and Marcus slept in his bassinet nearby. Prince was in his kennel, playing with a squeaky blue rabbit.

"Hey." Lizzie croaked, greeting her husband with a kiss on the cheek. Roger turned around and smiled at Lizzie.

"Hey beautiful." Roger greeted her back. He turned away from the stove and wrapped both hands around Lizzie's small waist and drew her close to him.

"Momma up!" Ming-Na exclaimed. Lizzie broke away from Roger and walked over to her daughter and picked her up.

"How's my girl?" Lizzie asked, smiling.

"Good." Ming-Na responded, kissing the end of Lizzie's nose. Lizzie smiled and put her daughter down so that she could help out with dinner.

After dinner, Lizzie put Ming-Na and Marcus to bed while Roger took Prince outside. The rest of the evening was spent in silence.


	14. Seize the Day!

CHAPTER FOURTEEN  
(chapter title - Seize the Day!)

_Wrongs will be righted, if we're united, let us seize the day! - _  
"Seize the Day" from Newsies.

Two months had passed. Lizzie and Roger simply couldn't be happier - Roger had auditioned for a role in the school musical, Newsies, and got the role of Joseph Pulitzer. Lizzie had gone out for the musical, but didn't get a part, which was okay with her.

Lizzie got another job volunteering with Kelli at TLC Acres. She got to exercise June's horse, a light chestnut Quarter Horse mare with four socks and a blaze named Justice on Jupiter - or JJ for short. Lizzie would walk, trot and canter JJ around the indoor arena while the other animals watched. Lizzie also had other responsibilities - she fed the chickens, let the dogs in & out, washed food bowls, scooped poop, fed Sandy - the white-tailed deer and whatever else she could find to do.

When she wasn't working at TLC, she worked at the high school as the media arts teacher. She only worked two days a week, so she spent the rest of the week either at TLC or at home with her kids.

Ming-Na and Roger's birthdays came and went and now they were celebrating Marcus' seven-month birthday. They took him to Potter Park Zoo, where he giggled at the playful otters and took a ride on a pony named Carmel. Lizzie walked with Marcus while Roger walked with Ming-Na who was on a pony named TJ.

After the zoo, Roger took his family for a drive in the country. He popped in the CD that Lizzie had made him for his birthday. As the first track played, Lizzie pointed out a group of deer in the woods. Ming-Na giggled and waved to the deer.

Roger pulled into MSU to take a look at the Arabians. He had always loved horses, but he didn't let it show around his Bohemian friends. He stopped the car and got Marcus out of his car-seat while Lizzie helped Ming-Na out of the car. They walked towards the largest pasture where 15 or so mares and foals were grazing. Roger whistled to one of the mares, who picked her head up and wandered over to Roger and his family, along with two other mares. The first mare pinned her ears back at the others and bared her teeth.

"What's she doing, mommy?" Ming-Na asked.

"She's telling the others that she's the boss and that they better not come near her." Lizzie answered, letting the mare - who was fawn-colored - sniff her hand.

"What's her name?" Ming-Na inquired.

"I don't know, honey." Lizzie told her daughter.

After twenty minutes with the horses, Marcus started to get cranky, so the family headed home. Fall was definitely in the air - the leaves were changing color, the air was cooler and the days were getting shorter.

By the time they got home, it was dark. Prince was fast asleep in his kennel, all four paws up in the air. Lizzie smiled and walked over to him while Roger helped Ming-Na and Marcus get their coats off. He then walked over to the refrigerator and got out the macaroni and cheese he had made the other night and heated it up in four bowls.

After supper, Lizzie and Roger put Ming-Na and Marcus to sleep before settling in their own room. Closing the door behind her, Lizzie took off her top and put on her new pajama top. It was pink with the words 'You Are The Cheese to my Macaroni' written on it in white block letters. She put on a pair of old blue sweatpants while Roger took off everything except his boxers. He smiled when Lizzie exited the room to brush her teeth in the bathroom.

When she came back, Lizzie placed her glasses on the bedside table and got into a comfortable position. Roger held her close and put both hands under her shirt, gently rubbing her back. Roger kissed her cheek and whispered 'I love you' in her ear before going to sleep.

At one o'clock in the morning, Lizzie woke up and couldn't go back to sleep. Putting her green robe and fluffy pink slippers on, she quietly headed out of the room and went downstairs. She turned on the TV and went though the channels until she found a channel that was playing the old version of 'Pride & Prejudice'. She watched the movie intently, not noticing Roger sit down next to her and put a throw blanket over the two of them.

Lizzie fell asleep a short while later. Roger turned off the TV before gathering Lizzie in his arms and carried her upstairs to their bedroom. He took off her robe and slippers then placed her under the covers. He looked over at her and ran a hand through her hair. He kissed her forehead and went back to sleep.

An hour later, Lizzie woke up in a cold sweat. Throwing the blanket off of her, she grabbed her novel, No Place Like Home, and headed downstairs. There was no way that she could go back to sleep. She was a total night owl. She remembered when she and April spent the whole night talking and laughing about everything and nothing. That was before April had met Roger and got high on drugs. The nice, sweet and sometimes psychotic April. It was all good fun, though.

Lizzie put her kitten bookmark in her book and headed back upstairs. The time was now 3:05 AM. She quietly snuck into her and Roger's room and climbed in next to him.

"Baby, where were you?" Roger asked groggily.

"I was downstairs reading. I couldn't sleep."

"I missed you."

"I missed you, too."

"Night."

"Goodnight."

The next morning, Lizzie woke up, dressed and headed downstairs. Quickly making herself some hot chocolate and toast, she did the morning Sudoko puzzle. Roger didn't understand why she did the puzzle, he thought it was confusing and a waste of time.

Finishing her breakfast and puzzle, Lizzie brushed her hair and teeth. Exiting the bathroom, she threw on an old coat, hat and boots before grabbing her keys and iPod. It was Monday - one of the days that she worked at TLC. She worked every Monday, Tuesday and Friday. Wednesdays and Thursdays were spent at the high school. Saturdays and Sundays were spent with the family.

When she pulled into TLC, she saw four horses grazing in the front pasture - Donna, Nellie and Wilma. She didn't recognize the other horse. It was a big dark gray Clydesdale with four white feet. She later found out that the horse's name was Ben and he was being bordered at TLC for a while.

Today was a busy day - Lizzie let dogs in & out, fed Sandy and the other animals that were outside, bathed & fed Camille the camel, fed Zeb the Zebu and did a million other things. She also ran errands with Allie and Kelli.

Lizzie left work at four and arrived at home around six. She saw a note from Roger saying that he was at the school rehearsing for Newsies and both Ming-Na and Marcus were at the school with him.

Lizzie quickly took a shower and changed before heading to the high school. She parked the car in the staff parking lot and quickly walked to the high school auditorium. She found Ming-Na and Marcus with a friend of the Davis' - a fellow teacher named Melany English, who was the choir teacher. She smiled as Lizzie sat down next to her and the house lights dimmed.

Lizzie watched the musical in complete awe. It was simply amazing - the sets, the costumes, the actors - everything. She found herself humming 'Seize the Day' to herself during intermission. Roger was due to appear in the second act. When everyone had gone to get refreshments in the lobby, Lizzie stayed in her seat, reading the cast bios from her program.

_Roger Davis - __Joseph Pulitzer__ - Roger is joining the musical for the first time as __Joseph Pulitzer__. Before auditioning for the musical, he lived in __New York__ with his wife and two children where he was a musician. He moved to __Michigan__ eight months ago and is fitting right in with us. When he's not singing, he's the theater teacher. He loves spending time with his family, writing songs, singing and enjoying life. All my love to Lizzie, Ming-Na and Marcus. XOXO  
_  
Lizzie smiled and flipped to the back of the program. There was a color picture of Roger with Lizzie. Both of them were dressed in white and looking at Marcus, who was wrapped in a white blanket. Ming-Na was there, too, also dressed in white. She was standing in front of her parents holding a lily in her hand. Above the pictures were the words 'We Love You Roger! Love Lizzie, Ming-Na and Marcus' written in gold - Roger's favorite color. She felt tears in her eyes as she ran her hand over her picture.

The house lights flickered and everyone headed back to their seats. Ming-Na and Melany smiled as they sat back down next to Lizzie. She smiled when Melany handed Marcus to her. Lizzie pointed out Roger as he came on stage. He did wonderfully as the villain Joseph Pulitzer. He wore a black wig, spectacles, a black coat, a white frilly shirt, tight black pants and a fake beard that matched the color of his hair. Lizzie watched intently as Roger said his lines and sang his songs. At the end of the musical, Lizzie was the first one to stand when the house lights came on and the cast came for their company bow.

After the play, Roger and his family headed home. Putting the kids to bed and taking Prince out one last time, Lizzie and Roger headed to their room.

"You did wonderfully tonight." Lizzie told her husband, stripping out of her shirt and hung it back on the hanger.

"Thank you." Roger thanked his wife, walking over toward her and gently massaged her neck. She turned around and kissed him on the lips. Roger returned the kiss and parted her lips with his tongue while his large hands went up and down Lizzie's back. Lizzie already had her hands on Roger's hips, her hands sneaking their way down.

The two of them walked to the bed, clothes coming off in all directions. Roger pulled the covers over him and Lizzie before reaching over and turning off the lamp on his bedside table. In the dark, Lizzie felt Roger go inside her while she just laid there, moaning. Roger rolled over on his side, bringing Lizzie with him. Lizzie's forehead was already covered in sweat, but she didn't care. Her hands were around Roger's waist, moving up and down his back.

"I love you." Lizzie breathed.

"Me, too." Roger moaned. Lizzie smiled and kissed Roger again.

The two of them ended up falling asleep at two-thirty AM. At three, Lizzie shook Roger awake.

"What?" he mumbled.

"Did you use protection?" Lizzie asked.

"Yeah." Roger answered after a moment. Letting out a sigh of relief, Lizzie fell back asleep.

Lizzie woke up to feel the warm sun on her face. Stretching, she looked over at Roger's side of the bed - it was empty. Yawning, Lizzie threw some clothes on and went to check on Marcus. He was fast asleep on his stomach. Lizzie decided to let him sleep a little longer. Exiting the room, she headed across the hall to check on Ming-Na. Her door was open, but the room was empty.

Heading downstairs, she saw Roger and Ming-Na at the kitchen counter, eating breakfast.

"Morning family." Lizzie chirped, kissing Roger's cheek and stroked Ming-Na's hair.

"Morning beautiful." Roger greeted his wife as he poured some cereal for her.

"What are we gonna do today?" Ming-Na asked. Today, she was wearing a pink 'Hello Kitty' t-shirt and dark blue jeans. On her feet, were her favorite pink My Little Pony Velcro shoes.

"Well, today's Saturday, which means that Kelli's gonna watch you and your brother while daddy and I have some alone time." Lizzie winked at her husband. He smiled and handed Lizzie her bowl of cereal. After they had breakfast, Kelli was going to come over so that Roger and Lizzie could spend some alone time together.

After breakfast, Kelli came over when Lizzie was taking a shower. She quickly finished and changed into a flowered sundress and a broad hat while Roger wore a pair of white shorts and a blue and white striped t-shirt. The couple waved goodbye to Kelli as they headed out the door and into the warm, spring sun.

They drove a little ways and ended up in the country.

"I'm horny." Roger announced, making Lizzie laugh.

"Are you serious?" Lizzie inquired, raising an eyebrow. Roger nodded as Lizzie fought back laughter. Roger pulled off the road and spotted a meadow and the two of them headed towards it.

"Alone at last." Roger announced, taking off Lizzie's sundress. Her skin glistened in the warm sun.

"Just me and my baby." Lizzie told her husband, slipping her hands under Roger's shirt and pulled it off of his head.

Lizzie moaned with pleasure as Roger made love to her in the hot afternoon sun. She prayed that they didn't get caught - that would be embarrassing.

"Oh God." Lizzie moaned, feeling Roger go inside her. The two of them were naked, except Lizzie refused to let Roger take off her bra. She was using the sundress as a pillow so that her hair wouldn't get dirty. Roger kissed her forehead before pulling out and put his pants back on. Lizzie found her floral underwear and put it back on, along with her sundress and hat.

"That was amazing." Roger announced as they drove to a café for lunch. Lizzie nodded and brushed the dirt off her sundress.

"You were amazing." Lizzie said, smiling.

"You're amazing." Roger whispered, kissing Lizzie's cheek.

At lunch, Roger could tell that something was bothering his Lizzie. She had ordered her favorite - a grilled chicken sandwich with a side of French fries and a glass of Coke. She barely ate her sandwich and had eaten two of the fries. She had drank half of her Coke.

"Baby, is everything okay?" Roger asked, reaching across the table and took one of Lizzie's hands in his. She nodded her head and looked away.

"Liz, talk to me. I'm worried about you." Roger told her, squeezing her hand. She excused herself and went to the bathroom at the back of the café. Locking the door behind her, she began to cry. She didn't know how to tell him, but he had to know sooner or later - before she began to show.


	15. Everything Is Happening So Fast

CHAPTER FIFTEEN  
(chapter title - Everything Is Happening So Fast)

_Stand for something or fall for anything -_  
Anonymous

"She's beautiful." Roger whispered as he held his new daughter for the first time. Kelli smiled at Roger and looked at Lizzie, who was fast asleep. Ming-Na and Marcus were in the waiting room with Maureen and her partner, Marni.

"Have you thought of a name yet?" Kelli asked. Roger shook his head as the baby stirred in his arms. He noticed Lizzie fast asleep and sat down next to her. Kelli had left the room, leaving the couple alone.

"Hey." Roger greeted his wife as she opened her eyes. The anastesia was wearing off, so she would be a little more alert in a few moments.

"Hi." she croaked, smiling when she saw the bundle in Roger's arms.

"How're you doing?" Roger inquired, putting the baby in her bassinet so that he could help Lizzie sit up.

"I'm okay." she responded, her voice hoarse. Roger smiled and kissed the top of her head.

"What do you want to name her?" Roger asked, looking at the baby as she nursed from the bottle that Lizzie held for her.

"What about Sara Elizabeth - after Paul's daughter?" Lizzie suggested. Sara had died in a car crash with two of her friends. The driver that hit them was drunk. She was only fourteen-years-old.

"I think your brother would've liked that." Roger whispered, carefully placing his hand under Sara's head as she drank.

* * *

Two weeks later, Lizzie and Sara were released from the hospital. To celebrate, Roger made tacos at the house while Kelli, Allie and June came over for dinner. Ten-year-old Ming-Na and one-year-old Marcus were happy to have a new little sister, especially Ming-Na. 

When Kelli, Allie and June had left and the kids were put to bed, Roger and Lizzie sat on the couch, cuddling.

"I love you." Roger whispered into Lizzie's hair. She smiled and moved closer to him.

"I love you, too." Lizzie whispered back, kissing Roger on the cheek.

"I love everything about you, babe." Roger sang. Lizzie burst out laughing - startling their new cats, Mitzi and Snowball. Prince had been hit by a car a month ago, which was hard on the Davis family. They told June and she said that when Ellie - another pregnant dog at the kennel - had her puppies, they had first pick.

Mitzi laid across Roger's legs and meowed, wanting to be petted. Roger smiled and petted the orange tabby. Mitzi and Snowball were mother and son who Roger had found at the humane society. He had bought the cats for Lizzie as a present, which she loved.

A short while later, Snowball came hobbling into the living room. His umbilical cord had wrapped around his right front leg, which the vet removed at birth. The white kitten seemed to do fine on three legs.

"We should get some sleep." Lizzie told her husband, standing up. Snowball meowed and looked up at Lizzie. Smiling, Lizzie picked up the four-month-old cat and placed him against her chest. Mitzi was close to five, the vet had told them.

"Okay guys, you two stay out here." Roger told the cats, setting Mitzi down while Lizzie put Snowball next to his mother. Then Lizzie stepped inside her and Roger's room, closing the door behind her.

Once inside, Roger grabbed her around her middle and took her to the bed. Lizzie shook her head as Roger started to take off her top.

"Why?" he asked.

"I'm just not in the mood." Lizzie whispered. Roger sighed sadly and took everything off except his boxers before climbing into bed. Lizzie took off her top and jeans, leaving on her bra, underwear and socks.

"Is something bothering you?" Roger asked.

"No. I'm just not in the mood tonight." Lizzie told him, taking half the blankets with her. Roger looked over at Lizzie and ran his hand up and down her back.

* * *

In the early morning, Roger quietly slipped out of bed and threw some clothes on. Quietly going down the stairs, he headed to the family room to work on a song. He sat down on the blue couch and took his guitar out of its case. He found his composition notebook and began to write. 

Lizzie stretched and looked over at the digital clock - it glowed 4:44 AM. Groaning, Lizzie was about to go back to sleep when Sara began crying. Lizzie headed to the room that was off the bedroom to check on her daughter. She was lying on her back, crying. Lizzie scooped her daughter in her arms and bounced her on her hip. She changed Sara and was about to go back to sleep when she heard faint music coming from downstairs. Putting on her see-through nightgown, she gathered Sara in her arms and headed downstairs.

Yawning, she saw Roger sitting on the blue couch, guitar in his hand and tears in his eyes. Lizzie carefully sat down next to him, rocking Sara gently in her arms.

"_I read a note my grandma wrote back in nineteen twenty-three.  
Grandpa kept it in his coat, and he showed it once to me. He said,  
'Boy, you might not understand, but a long, long time ago,  
Grandma's daddy didn't like me none, but I loved your Grandma so.'  
We had this crazy plan to meet and run away together.  
Get married in the first town we came to, and live forever.  
But nailed to the tree where we were supposed to meet, instead  
I found this letter, and this is what it said:_" Roger sang, his voice low. Lizzie smiled - she had heard this song before. Roger sang it at his grandfather's funeral when Lizzie found out that she was pregnant with Marcus.

"_If you get there before I do, don't give up on me.  
I'll meet you when my chores are through;  
I don't know how long I'll be.  
But I'm not gonna let you down, darling wait and see.  
And between now and then, till I see you again,  
I'll be loving you. Love, me._" Lizzie and Roger crooned.

"_I read those words just hours before my Grandma passed away,  
In the doorway of a church where me and Grandpa stopped to pray.  
I know I'd never seen him cry in all my fifteen years;  
But as he said these words to her, his eyes filled up with tears._" Roger sang, looking over at his wife and daughter.

"_If you get there before I do, don't give up on me.  
I'll meet you when my chores are through;  
I don't know how long I'll be.  
But I'm not gonna let you down, darling wait and see.  
And between now and then, till I see you again,  
I'll be loving you. Love, me._

_Between now and then, till I see you again,  
I'll be loving you. Love, me._" Roger and Lizzie harmonized.

"Okay, who died?" Lizzie asked when the two of them were upstairs. Lizzie had just put Sara back to bed and now she was lying in Roger's arms.

"What are you talking about?" Roger asked, kissing the top of Lizzie's head.

"You only sing that song when somebody in your family dies." Lizzie told him, taking some of his chest hair and wrapped it around her finger. Roger's hands were cradling Lizzie's face.

"You know my brother who lives in Montana?"

"Yeah."

"He died this afternoon."

"Oh my God! I'm so sorry."

"He was like Collins re-incarnated, you know."

"He was so sweet."

"Thanks."

"How did he die?"

"He was riding a new horse named Musket who bucked him off. My sister-in-law went outside to look for my brother and found his body…" Roger's voice was starting to crack.

"I'm so sorry, honey. Is there anything I can do?"

"Not right now, but we'll need to go to Montana for the funeral."

"When is the funeral?"

"Stephanie wants it as soon as possible - which means it could be tomorrow or a week from now." Roger told her. Lizzie felt tears in her eyes as Roger talked about his favorite memory of his brother. She listened intently, wishing that her brothers cared enough about her to take her fishing or hiking with them.

"…when we came home, Mom was so mad at us." Roger concluded. Lizzie smiled and snuggled closer to her husband.

"Are you sure you're not in the mood?" Roger asked, changing the subject.

"I'm sure." Lizzie reassured him.

"Okay. Good night Lizzie."

"Night Rog."

"Love you."

"Love you, too."

Roger kissed Lizzie on the lips before turning on his side and falling asleep. Lizzie smiled, closed her eyes and fell asleep.

"Rog, if Sara cries, will you get up with her?" Lizzie asked.

"Sure." Roger grunted. Lizzie breathed a sigh of relief before closing her eyes and falling asleep for good.

* * *

Around six-thirty, Lizzie woke up to someone coughing. Sitting straight up in bed, she looked over at Roger and flipped on her lamp on her bedside table. The light blinded her as she reached for her glasses and put them on. 

"Rog, baby, you okay?" Lizzie asked, her voice still a little hoarse.

"I don't know." Roger answered between coughs. In the lamplight, Lizzie could see a pool of blood on his pillow. Tears welled in her eyes.

"Rog, we have to get you to the hospital - _now_!" Lizzie commanded, getting out of bed and threw a t-shirt, a black sweater and black jeans on. She threw some clothes at Roger and commanded him to get dressed.

While Roger was getting dressed, Lizzie called Kelli to see if she would be willing to watch the kids while she took Roger to the hospital. Kelli told Lizzie she would be there faster than a jackrabbit on a pogo stick. Lizzie rolled her eyes and hung up the phone - she was in no mood for Kelli's jokes.

Lizzie left for the hospital just as Kelli was coming over with her new puppy - one of the ones from TLC Acres. Kelli had named the little guy Mr. Cute, which suited him perfectly.

While the doctor was checking on Roger, Lizzie read her People magazine in the waiting room. She was just about to turn to the article about Heath Ledger when the nurse called her back. Putting on a forced smile, Lizzie followed her to the examining room.

"Mrs. Davis, your husband has full blown AIDS. I've given him some antibiotics and refilled his AZT prescription, but don't expect him to live much longer." the doctor told her. Lizzie felt tears in her eyes as she sat down next to Roger, who was on the examining table, lying on his back.

"H-how much longer do you think he'll live?" Lizzie asked, squeezing Roger's hand.

"I'm giving him at least three months." the doctor answered, placing a hand on Lizzie's shoulder. The tears were streaming down her cheeks now.

"Thank you." Lizzie sobbed, helping Roger get changed into his street clothes. She picked up his AZT at the prescription counter before heading back to the car.

As they drove back home, Lizzie turned on the CD she had made for Roger. The first track, Willkommen, came on, making Roger smile.

"Glad to see you smiling." Lizzie told her husband, feeling tears in her eyes.

"You know this has been my favorite song." Roger told her, his voice hoarse from coughing.

When they pulled into the driveway, Kelli rushed out to meet them. She helped Lizzie take Roger into the house and place him on the couch. Lizzie set up a TV tray with two AZT tablets, a bottle of water and the leftover French fries they had gotten at Arby's.

"Marcus and Sara are sleeping and Ming-Na is working on schoolwork." Kelli told the couple as Lizzie placed a throw blanket on Roger and handed him the TV remote.

"Thank you so much for watching the kids." Lizzie thanked her friend. Kelli smiled and told her it wasn't a problem.

Later that night, Lizzie had Ming-Na put Marcus and Sara to bed while she blew up the inflatable mattress. She was going to sleep next to Roger and take care of him that night.

As Lizzie was settling down for the night, Marcus came walking into the room, clad in his Thomas the Tank Engine pajamas and his stuffed cat.

"Baby, what are you doing here?" Lizzie whispered, not wanting to disturb Roger.

"I want hug!" Marcus whispered loudly. Lizzie smiled and walked over to him. She then picked him up and kissed his cheek.

"Daddy and I need our sleep and so do little boys." Lizzie told him quietly. Marcus frowned and fidgeted in her arms. Lizzie sighed and carried him to his room.

"Good night, sweet one." Lizzie whispered as soon as Marcus was asleep. She headed back to the living room when something brushed against her leg. Nearly jumping out of her skin, she caught a quick glimpse of a white tail as it scurried away.

Heart pounding, she smiled when she saw Roger sitting up and watching TV.

"Hey baby." Lizzie greeted him before climbing into her sleeping bag.

"Hey." Roger croaked.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. You?"

"I'm worried about you."

"I know."

"What will I do without you?"

"I don't know."

"I can't balance two jobs and three kids. It's impossible."

"Some people can manage."

"I know, but I don't know how I'll be able to manage without you."

"You'll figure out a way."

There was a moment of silence before Roger spoke up.

"Liz, I want you to promise me something."

"Anything."

"I want you to promise me that when I die, you'll move on with your life - find somebody else and start a life with them."

"I promise."

"And don't dwell on the past."

"I promise." Lizzie repeated. She felt Roger squeeze her hand in the dark. His palms were clammy, but Lizzie didn't mind.

"Shit." Lizzie swore.

"What?"

"I forgot about the baby!"

Running upstairs, she threw the door open and flipped on the light. Going to the room off of the bedroom, she saw her daughter fast asleep. Letting out a sigh of relief, she gathered the baby in her arms and headed back downstairs.

Lizzie put Sara in her pack-and-play while she and Roger slept so that she could keep an eye on both her daughter and her husband.

At six o'clock in the morning, Ming-Na exited her room dressed in a black long-sleeved shirt with a picture of Severus Snape on it and black jeans. On her feet, she wore her purple socks. She closed the door behind her and headed for the kitchen to get herself something to eat before school started.

While her toast was heating up, she saw her dad asleep and her mom feeding her sister.

"Hey." Ming-Na quietly greeted her mother.

"Hello. What are you doing up?"

"I'm getting myself something to eat before I go to school."

"Good for you."

"Thanks. Before I go, I'll get Marcus up."

"That's okay, honey. I'll get him up."

"How's dad?"

"He's okay - he slept most of the night."

"That's good. Will he be okay?"

Lizzie didn't know what to tell her daughter.

"Honey, four of us in this house have a deadly virus called AIDS. Your dad got it when he was in his twenties and I got it when I was also in my twenties. Both Marcus and Sara have it as well…" Lizzie really didn't know how to explain the virus to her daughter.

The beeping of the toaster cut off Ming-Na's reply. She went to butter her toast and pour her milk.

"Ming-Na, sweetie, are you okay?"

"What will happen to me?"

"What?"

"When you die, what will happen to me?"

"I don't know. We'll figure that out."

"I don't want you to die."

"Honey, I'm not going anywhere." Lizzie reassured her daughter.

The two of them talked a little bit more before Ming-Na went to catch her bus at seven. Lizzie put Sara back to bed, checked on Roger and went to wake up Marcus. She also fed the cats and fed herself.

Kelli came over around noon to help out with the caring of Roger, Marcus and Sara. Lizzie was forever grateful for her friend.


	16. I Can't Believe This Is Goodbye

CHAPTER SIXTEEN  
(chapter title - I Can't Believe This Is Goodbye)

_Because I knew you, I have been changed for good - _  
"For Good" from Wicked.

The day that Lizzie was fearing came - on January 12th, 2009, at 1:02 PM, her beloved husband Roger Patrick Davis, died at the age of thirty-nine of AIDS. Lizzie cried her eyes out as the paramedics arrived to take him to the morgue. Kelli was there, soothing her friend and helping out with the children.

Roger's funeral was set for Valentine's Day. His sister, brother-in-law and sister-in-law were there, among Roger's friends, the staff at the high school and his theatre students. Maureen, Joanne and Benny made the funeral with their families. There were volunteers that were providing childcare, so the families dropped the kids off in the childcare room, except Ming-Na and Sara, before heading to the church.

Once they were in the church, Lizzie, Sara and Ming-Na took the first pew while Maureen, Joanne and Benny took the pews either next to the one that Lizzie, Sara and Ming-Na were sitting on or the ones close by.

After the first hymn, Lizzie went to the podium while holding Sara and cleared her throat. All eyes were on her.

"Hello everyone. For those of you who don't know me, I'm Lizzie Davis, Roger's wife, and this is our youngest, Sara. I just want to take a minute and thank everyone for being here today. I know Roger would've loved it.

Secondly, there will be a luncheon after the funeral, if anyone has something to say about Roger - a story, a joke or if they just want to talk.

Lastly, if anyone wants anything of Roger's - a shirt, song, or whatever, just come talk to me after the service. I'll be around here somewhere.

There are a few people I would like to thank - thank you to Roger's family for helping me plan this funeral. I don't know where I would be without them. Next, I would like to thank Louie's Flowers for the flowers. Lastly, I would like to thank all of you for coming - whether you are a family member, friend or if you knew Roger from childhood.

Okay, I'm going to stop my talking and let the funeral continue." Lizzie smiled at the audience, even though tears were streaming down her cheeks.

After Lizzie spoke, the minister said a eulogy about Roger that Lizzie had written, since the minister didn't know Roger all that well. After he read the eulogy, it was time for the second hymn.

After the hymn was sung, Maureen walked up to the podium, her hands fiddling with a piece of paper she held in her hands.

"Hi. I'm Maureen Johnson-Hagen and I would like to share a few words about Roger. First off, he was an amazing guy - putting everything ahead of himself. Secondly, he loved music as much as he loved Lizzie, his beautiful wife. I would like to share one of his songs now that I put into a poem, with Lizzie's permission. It's called I'm With You and I feel like he's with us." Maureen unfolded the paper and placed it on the podium in front of her.

"_Starlight and wonder  
The universe seen through your eyes  
The moon is a glorious halo  
Hanging high over your head every night  
Spinning and spinning  
A flick of the wrist and a smile  
And in the morning so early  
Deep conversations are spoken  
In tongues by sunlight_

_Tonight, you can dream you're a star  
You can walk on the clouds  
And float to the ground  
And I'm with you_

_We stare out the window  
And look to the sky every night  
The stars are the beacons of heaven  
And maybe one day you'll go up for a ride  
Oh, you are the sunshine  
You are the face that I dream of  
You are your mother's religion  
Down on her knees as she  
Kisses your heartache away_

_Tonight, you can dream you're a star  
You can walk on the clouds  
And float to the ground  
And I'm with you  
Tonight, you can get very far  
The calm and the storm_

_Are forever yours  
And I'm with you_

_I've thrown coins in the fountain  
I've been to the mountain  
I've lived through the violence  
I've seen what man can do to man  
I can't promise you peace  
I can't promise you money  
But I promise to make you the best man I can  
Hold on to something  
Cause your life's about to begin_

_Tonight, you can dream you're a star  
You can walk on the clouds  
And float to the ground  
And I'm with you_

_Tonight, you can dream you're a star  
You can walk on the clouds  
And float to the ground  
And I'm with you_." Maureen read from the paper in her hand, tears streaming down her cheeks. After she finished, there was applause as Maureen went to her seat and Joanne stepped forward.

"Hello. I'm Joanne Jefferson and I would like to share something about Roger. I've known Roger since 1989, so he's been like a brother to me. I remember on Valentine's Day of 1999, he bought Mimi twenty-three roses for her birthday. After Mimi died, he thought his life was over, until he met Lizzie. Together, they settled down and had three beautiful children. It's sad because these children will never know what their father accomplished, but I'm sure that Lizzie will tell them." she then looked up at the ceiling and whispered 'I love you' before going back to her seat and sat down.

After Joanne said a few words about Roger, Lizzie and Benny went to the stage to perform one of the songs that Roger had written before he died called 'Written in the Stars'. Lizzie was crying when she sang her part, but she kept her cool. After the song was over, Lizzie returned to her seat while Benny stayed at the podium.

"Hi. I'm Benjamin Coffin the third - also known as Benny. I would also like to share a little something about Roger. I met Roger on a hot, August day in 1983. He had just met April and I had just moved into the loft. My girlfriend and I were bored one night, so we went to CBGB's for some fun. There was a band that was featured there called The Well Hungarians. They were awesome, but the one thing I noticed was the lead singer. He had bleach-blond hair that was in a Mohawk and a voice like a rock-star angel. My roommate at the time, Mark, introduced me to the lead singer, who was Roger Davis.

It's hard to imagine life without Roger in it. He always knew how to make everyone happy. He, like Angel, sort of brought us together. Now that there's only three of us left after having eight in 1989. I miss every single one of them." Benny's voice cracked as he said the last words. Lizzie saw him brush tears out of his eyes as he took a seat towards the back.

A few more people said nice things about Roger before the closing hymn was sung. Lizzie had trouble seeing the page of the hymnal because of the tears in her eyes.

After the luncheon, Lizzie headed back to the house with Ming-Na and Sara. Kelli would bring Marcus with her later. Right now, Lizzie just wanted time to herself.

"Ming, could you watch your sister? I'm not feeling well." Lizzie told her daughter, placing Sara in her arms. Ming-Na nodded and watched her mother walk up the stairs and go to her bedroom.

Ming-Na ended up watching her sister for half an hour, making her late for her slumber party. As soon as Kelli walked in the door, Ming-Na placed Sara in Kelli's arms before grabbing her blue duffel bag that was near the back door. Over her shoulder, she told Kelli that her mom was upstairs and not feeling well. Kelli thanked her and watched the girl head for the van that was waiting for her at the end of the driveway.

Sighing, she closed the door and looked at the baby in her arms. Sara looked exactly like her father - blond hair and blue eyes that would later change color.

"Marcus, how about we get you down for a nap, okay?" Kelli suggested, putting Sara down in her pack-and-play so that she could help Marcus.

Once Marcus was down for a nap, Kelli turned on the TV and watched a movie on TV, while keeping an eye on Sara.

"Kelli, what are you doing here?" Lizzie asked, coming down the stairs. Kelli looked over her shoulder as Lizzie entered the kitchen and walked over to where Kelli was seated on the blue couch. Lizzie was dressed in a large gray 'Detroit Lions' sweatshirt and Eeyore pajama bottoms with brown socks. Her hair was pulled into a braid.

"I came over to watch the kids while Ming-Na was at her slumber party and you took a nap. Marcus is down for a nap and this little girl is okay with me." Kelli told her, looking up at the other woman.

"Okay. I'm gonna go back to sleep. When Roger gets home…" Lizzie had to stop herself. She couldn't believe that Roger was gone.

"Oh, honey. It's okay." Kelli soothed as she walked around the couch and went to catch Lizzie before she fell to the floor. The two of them sat on the floor, Kelli holding Lizzie while she cried.

"Shh. Shh. It's okay." Kelli soothed, rubbing a hand up and down Lizzie's back while the other one stroked her hair.

Lizzie pulled herself together and went to check on Marcus and Sara while Kelli started dinner - her homemade macaroni and cheese.

The three of them had TV trays set up and were about to sit down to dinner in front of the TV when the phone rang. Kelli went to get it while Lizzie helped Marcus with his macaroni and cheese.

"Liz, it's for you. I think it's Ming-Na." Kelli handed the phone to Lizzie as Lizzie got Marcus off her lap and went to talk to her daughter.

"Ming, sweetie? What's wrong?" Lizzie asked, walking into the quiet living room.

"I wanna come home." Ming-Na sobbed. Lizzie could hear kids laughing and playing in the background.

"Honey, it sounds like everyone's having fun there. Why don't you have fun, too?" Lizzie suggested.

"I'm feeling left out - I tried to play a game with some girls and they said it was only for four players." Ming-Na complained.

"Okay, tell you what - how about if you're not having fun in an hour, I'll send Kelli to come and get you while I put your siblings to bed. How does that sound?" Lizzie asked.

"Sounds good." Ming-Na answered. Lizzie smiled and hung up, but not before saying 'I love you' to her daughter.

An hour later, the phone rang. Lizzie went to get it while Kelli put the kids to bed.

"Ming, do you want me to come get you?" Lizzie asked, going to the closet to get her coat.

"Yeah. No one likes me." Ming-Na told her mom. Lizzie could feel the pain her daughter was feeling. She had Ming-Na hand the phone to the hostess' mom so that she could get directions to the house.

"In your opinion, how's Ming-Na doing?" Lizzie asked the mom, pulling on her boots.

"She tries to make friends, but the other girls don't want her to play with them." the mom told her.

"I know she's shy, but if you push her to make friends, she'll come around." Lizzie reassured the mom.

"I tried to get her to play with my daughter, Meagan, but she didn't want to. Oh, I'm sorry for your loss - Ming-Na told us when she came over that her father's funeral was today."

"Thank you. I think that's why she wants to come home - she's just not up for this today." Lizzie said, getting a pad of paper and a pen so that she could leave Kelli a note where she was.

As Lizzie drove to pick up Ming-Na, she remembered her and Roger's first Valentine's Day together…

_"Oh what a beautiful mornin'  
Oh what a beautiful day  
I've got a beautiful feelin'  
Everything's goin' my way." Roger sang in Lizzie's ear. Lizzie moaned and rolled over on her side. She felt the mattress sink under Roger's weight as he crawled over to her._

_"Rog, can you let me sleep for five more minutes?" Lizzie asked, stifling a yawn. He kissed her cheek and went to get dressed while Lizzie slept._

_Five minutes later, Lizzie woke up and found four beautiful roses next to the bed in a vase with carousel horses on it. Lizzie opened the card that was next to the vase and smiled as it played the Carousel Waltz from her favorite movie, Carousel._

_The rest of the day was spent in the loft, making love and just spending time with her hubby._

_That was over five years ago_ Lizzie thought to herself as she pulled up in front of Ming-Na's friends house. As she waited for Ming-Na, Lizzie put in the CD that Roger had made her before he died.

The ride home was silent, except for the music playing softly.


	17. The New Man In Lizzie's Life

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN  
(chapter title - The New Man In Lizzie's Life)

_If you don't know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else -_  
Yogi Berra

Five months had passed since Roger's death and Lizzie felt more alone than ever. As she watched the kids in the wading pool, she felt his arms around her, holding her close. She felt his lips on her cheeks, kissing the tears off of them. She swore she heard him singing in the shower sometimes, but it was only her imagination.

Sighing, she picked up her book Pride & Prejudice and headed out to the screened in porch. Opening the door, she stepped out into the hot July sun.

"Hi momma!" Ming-Na greeted her. She was in a teal one-piece Lion King swimsuit. Lizzie smiled at her daughter and watched her son, Marcus, splash in the pool. Sara, who was dressed in a Strawberry Shortcake swimsuit, cried when Marcus splashed her.

The three kids came inside and had sandwiches, except Sara, who had some milk before being put down for a nap. Lizzie changed Sara out of her swimsuit and put her in a pair of Tigger pajamas. Gently rocking her daughter, she softly sang Edelweiss to her.

Once Sara was asleep, Lizzie exited the room and went to check on Ming-Na and Marcus.

"Can we go back out and swim, mommy?" Ming-Na asked.

"Sure, but don't stay out too long." Lizzie told them, staying inside so she could keep an eye on Sara. Kelli was in Florida for the summer, so Lizzie was left to take care of the kids herself.

"WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Marcus cried. Lizzie jumped out of her chair and rushed to her little boy. He was standing at the edge of the pool, cradling his left arm. Lizzie knew he had been stung.

"Oh, it's all right, sweetie." Lizzie soothed, bringing in her son. Ming-Na stayed outside so that she could drain out the pool and put it away.

"It hurt." Marcus sobbed. Lizzie nodded and went to get a pair of tweezers and a Spider-Man band-aid for him. She then walked back to where Marcus was standing and got the bee sting out. She thanked God that he wasn't allergic to bees, like she was.

"I think you're gonna live." Lizzie told him, placing the band-aid on the bee sting. Marcus smiled up at her while Lizzie went to check on Sara.

Later that night, Lizzie took the kids to see The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything. The theatre was packed, but Lizzie managed to find a spot towards the back of the theatre for the three of them. Lizzie adjusted the sling that Sara was sleeping in and watched the movie with her kids.

"Daddy, what that?" Lizzie heard a little girl whisper next to her. She was pointing at the sling that held baby Sara.

"Honey, that's a sling." the dad whispered to his daughter.

"What in the sling?" the girl inquired.

"I don't know, probably a baby." the dad answered. Lizzie smiled and looked over at the father and daughter. The dad smiled back at Lizzie.

After the movie was over, Lizzie took her time to put her coat back on and take care of her kids.

"Here, let me help with that." a voice said. Lizzie looked over and saw a man with blond hair and sparkling blue eyes.

"Thanks." Lizzie thanked him as she put on her jacket.

"I'm sorry about my daughter, Isabel. She's kind of nosy." the man apologized, gently taking baby Sara from her.

"Oh, it's no problem. My son is the same way." Lizzie told him, zipping up her coat.

"I'm Patrick by the way - Patrick Davies."

"Lizzie Davis."

"Nice to meet you, Lizzie."

"You, too." Lizzie bent forward so that she could put the sling around her neck.

"How many kids do you have?" Patrick asked, walking Lizzie and her family out of the theatre.

"Three - Ming-Na, Marcus and Sara."

"I just have Isabel."

The two of them chatted as Lizzie walked to her car. It turned out that Patrick had parked his car right next to hers.

"Do you want to go out for coffee sometime?" Patrick asked, getting Isabel in the car as Lizzie put Marcus and Sara in their car seats.

"Yeah. That would be great. Ming-Na's going to summer camp soon, and both the younger ones are at daycare during the day." Lizzie told him, reaching out to take the piece of paper that he had given her.

"Isabel is at daycare most of the day, too." Patrick told her, smiling.

"I'll give you a call sometime, okay?" Lizzie told him, climbing in her car. Patrick nodded and turned on the ignition.

The next week, Ming-Na left for horse camp in Williamston and Lizzie had just dropped off Marcus and Sara at daycare when she got a phone call on her cell.

"Hello?" she answered, pressing speaker.

"Hey there." Patrick greeted her.

"I was wondering when you would call." Lizzie told him. Patrick chuckled.

"What are you up to?" Patrick asked.

"I just dropped Marcus and Sara at daycare and I was going to go shopping until I have to go pick them up. What are you up to?"

"I just dropped Isabel off at daycare, too, and I'm not really doing anything. Wanna get some coffee?"

"Sure. Where?"

"Is Bigby's okay?"

"Sounds great."

The two of them agreed to meet at the corner Bigby's, since Lizzie was closet to that one, she arrived there first. She got some coffee and went to find a table for her and Patrick to sit down at.

"So, what do you do for a living?" Lizzie asked Patrick when he had gotten his coffee.

"I'm a musician at night, but during the day, I'm a stay at home dad. What about you?"

"I used to be the media arts teacher at the high school, but since my husband died, I stopped working there. I volunteer at the animal shelter on Saturdays and the rest of the week, I work at the gym." Lizzie told him, taking a small sip of her coffee. Patrick reached across the table and took one of Lizzie's hands in his.

"My wife died, too. She was in a car accident, so I know what you're going through." Patrick told her.

"I'm sorry." Lizzie apologized.

"Thanks. How did your husband die?"

"Suicide." Lizzie lied. She didn't want to tell Patrick that she had HIV, fearing what that would do to their relationship.

"Oh God. That must've been terrible."

"It was." Lizzie told him, tears in her eyes. She went into detail about how she came home one day and saw Roger lying face down in the bathtub, his wrists slit.

"I got a call from the police saying that my wife, Lysette, had been killed in a car crash by a drunk driver." Patrick told her, tears in his eyes.

"Isabel's cute." Lizzie told him, changing the subject.

"Thank you. Your little ones are cute, too."

"How old is she?"

"Four and a half. What about yours?"

"Eleven, two and four months."

They ended up talking for another few minutes before both of them had to go pick up their kids.

A month later, Lizzie and Patrick were out walking with all four kids when Patrick pulled Lizzie aside.

"Watch the little ones, Ming." Lizzie told her daughter. She then followed Patrick to a shaded area.

"What's up?" Lizzie asked him.

"Lizzie, we've seen each other for a month now and there's something I have to ask you." Patrick got down on one knee and reached into his pocket.

"Will you marry me?" Patrick asked, pulling out a box. Lizzie felt tears in her eyes. She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She watched him place the ring on her left ring finger - it fit perfectly.

That night when she got home, Lizzie called Kelli to let her know the news. She got her voicemail, so she left a message, just telling Kelli to call her back as soon as possible.

As she got the kids ready for bed, the phone rang. Rushing to answer it, she looked at the caller ID - Kelli's number popped up.

"Hello?" Lizzie answered.

"Hey girl! Congratulations on your engagement!" Kelli squealed.

"Thank you." Lizzie thanked her friend.

"What's he like?"

"He's kind, sweet, compassionate, very good with the kids and he seems like my match made in heaven."

"How do you think that Roger would feel about you two?"

"I think he would be okay with it - he was a pretty reasonable guy."

The conversation lasted a few more minutes. As Kelli was ready to hang up, there was something that Lizzie wanted to ask her.

"Oh, before I forget - which I probably will - would you do me the honor in being my maid of honor at my wedding?" Lizzie inquired.

"I would love to!" Kelli exclaimed. Lizzie laughed and said 'goodbye' to her friend one last time before heading to bed


	18. The Start of Something New

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN  
(chapter title - The Start of Something New)

_T__his could be the start  
Of something new  
It feels so right  
To be here with you (oh)  
And now looking in your eyes  
I feel in my heart  
The start of something new  
-- _"The Start of Something New" from High School Musical

The day of the wedding was a beautiful sunny day. Lizzie stretched and looked over at her sleeping fiancée. She couldn't believe that in just a few hours, she would be Mrs. Patrick Davies.

"Honey, we should get up and get around." Lizzie whispered in her fiancée's ear. Patrick grumbled and turned over on his side so that he was facing Lizzie. He cradled her face his hands and kissed her forehead.

"I can't wait for this afternoon." Patrick whispered, taking Lizzie in his strong arms. She smiled and made herself comfortable.

A few minutes later, Lizzie took a shower while Patrick fed and changed Sara. Ming-Na, Marcus and Isabel were downstairs eating breakfast when Lizzie headed down the stairs. She wore a white button-up shirt and black pants. Lizzie, the flower girls and her bridesmaids were getting their hair, nails and makeup done while Patrick, the groomsmen and the ring bearer went to the church and got changed there.

"Bye honey. See you later." Lizzie kissed Patrick's cheek before heading out the door with Ming-Na, Sara and Isabel.

"Love you." Patrick called after her. Lizzie smiled and helped the girls in the brown Station Wagon. Ming-Na climbed in the front seat while Lizzie buckled Sara and Isabel in their booster seat and car seat.

Ten minutes later, they arrived at Lacey's - the hair, makeup and nail salon. Lizzie found a spot near the front and headed inside with the girls.

"Hey hun!" Patrick's mom, Juliet, called to her. Lizzie walked over and hugged her while Ming-Na and Isabel walked over to Kelli. She led them over to the hairdresser, Cyndi.

"How's she doing?" Juliet asked, looking at Sara in Lizzie's arms.

"She's fine. Do you wanna hold her?" Lizzie asked. Juliet nodded and Lizzie handed her daughter to her mother-in-law. Juliet babbled to Sara while Lizzie went to have her hair, makeup and nails done.

After everyone was done, they all headed over to the church. They snuck into one of the dressing rooms as Patrick's best man and older brother, Eric, headed around the corner. He pretended like he didn't see anything and kept on walking.

Half an hour later, Lizzie looked at herself in the mirror. She wore a long, strapless white dress with a five-foot long train. Her veil had a pattern of flowers on it, which was attached to a tiara. Her hair was curled and piled on the top of her head.

"We ready?" Kelli asked. Lizzie nodded and adjusted her gloves. Since she had no male relatives in her family, she had asked Patrick's dad, Sean, to walk her down the asile. He was honored to do so.

As she walked down the asile, Lizzie kept her eyes straight ahead. She saw Patrick standing at the end, along with his groomsmen and Marcus the ring bearer. Sean kissed Lizzie's cheek as he handed her over to his son. Patrick hugged his dad and took Lizzie's hand in his.

The two of them recited their vows and rings. Tears were streaming down Lizzie's cheeks as she placed the ring on Patrick's right ring finger. He placed the ring on her left ring finger and kissed her temple.

"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." the priest told Patrick. He lifted the veil off of Lizzie's face and kissed her long and hard. She returned the kiss as the Wedding March played. The two of them headed down the asile, hand in hand.

The reception took place in the ballroom that was next to the church. Lizzie, Patrick and the wedding party sat at the head table while their guests sat at round tables near the dance floor and the head table.

For their first dance, Lizzie and Patrick danced to Unchained Melody. Lizzie rested her head on Patrick's shoulder as they danced around the dance floor. When the song finished, Patrick dipped Lizzie and kissed her. There was a burst of applause as the two of them headed back to the head table.

Around nine o'clock, Kelli offered to take Sara, Marcus, Isabel and Ming-Na home, since three of them had school the following morning. Lizzie thanked her friend and thanked her for coming to the wedding.

Around midnight, Lizzie was getting tired - although, it could have been from the all the Champaign she had been drinking.

"You okay?" Patrick asked as Lizzie rested her head on his shoulder. She nodded and yawned.

"I can't wait for our honeymoon." Patrick whispered, making Lizzie smile. The two of them were going to Spain for two months.

"I can't wait, either." Lizzie whispered back.

The two of them headed back to Lizzie's house and changed out of their clothes.

"Hun, could you help me with these stupid buttons?" Lizzie asked, turning so that her back was facing Patrick. He nodded and walked over to her.

"I can't believe that we're husband and wife." Patrick told her, unbuttoning the dress so that Lizzie could get out of it.

"Me, either." Lizzie told him, smiling when Patrick ran a hand down her back. He unbuttoned the last button and Lizzie stepped out of the dress. Lizzie sighed and hung the dress up in the closet. She felt Patrick sneak up behind her and wrap his arms around her. He kissed her neck as his hands went up and down her back. Lizzie followed him to the bed, Patrick kissing her more and more passionately.

"Don't stop." Lizzie moaned as she felt Patrick go inside her.

"I won't." Patrick whispered in her ear, gently nibbling on it.

The two of them ended up falling asleep around three o'clock in the morning, just to get up three hours later to change and go to the airport.

As they flew to Spain, Lizzie looked over at her husband. He wore a long-sleeved black t-shirt and black jeans. Lizzie was wearing a gold dress with a black jacket over it.

"Patrick, there's something you should know about me." Lizzie started. She wasn't sure how Patrick would react to what she was about to tell him.

"Well, there's something you should know about me, too." Patrick told her.

"You go first." Lizzie said, brushing a piece of hair behind her ear.

"No, I insist that you go first."

"How about we tell each other on three."

"Okay."

"Ready?"

"One, two, three."

"I have HIV." both of them said at the same time.

"What?" Patrick exclaimed.

"How?" Lizzie asked.

"My wife, the one I told you died in a car crash. She actually died from HIV. What about you?"

"My husband who I said committed suicide. He died from it, too."

"What was your husband's name?"

"Roger. What about your wife?"

"Lysette."

"Why weren't we honest with each other in the beginning?" Lizzie asked, burying her face in her hands. Patrick rubbed her back, shaking his head.

"I think we were afraid that our disease would scare the other off." Patrick told her as his AZT beeper went off. Lizzie's went off a second later.

"AZT break." both of them said in unison. Lizzie laughed as she opened her bottle of water and took two AZT. Patrick took a sip of his Diet Dr. Pepper and swallowed his AZT.

"How long have you had HIV?" Patrick asked.

"For about twenty years. You?"

"Four months."

"I'm so sorry." Lizzie apologized.

"Me, too." Patrick said, running a hand through Lizzie's hair. She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

"Did you remember protection?" Lizzie asked.

"Yes, I did." Patrick answered, kissing the top of Lizzie's head.

Four hours later, the two of them arrived in Spain. It was a hot day, making Lizzie sweat through her dress. The two of them went to baggage claim and got their suitcases then went to find a cab to take them to the hotel.

They arrived at The Sultan Hotel forty-five minutes later. Patrick tipped the cabdriver before helping Lizzie with the bags. The two of them checked into the hotel and went to their room on the fourth floor.

When they entered the room, there was a bathroom on the right and a closet on the left. As they walked further into the room, there was a heart-shaped bed with a ton of different colored heart-shaped pillows.

"Look at this view." Lizzie told her husband, going to the window. She felt Patrick come up behind her and put a hand up her dress, unzipping it slightly. Lizzie smiled and turned so that she was facing him. She stood on tiptoe to kiss him on the lips. He returned the kiss as they walked to the bed. They put the pillows on the floor and climbed in under the covers. The sweater Lizzie had been wearing over her dress was on the floor, along with Patrick's shirt. Lizzie's dress and bra were the next things to come off, along with Patrick's jeans and boxers. The last thing to go was Lizzie's underwear. Lizzie's heart was pounding as Patrick gently squeezed one of Lizzie's breasts and brought it to his mouth. Lizzie laid on her back and felt Patrick go inside her, bringing her closer to him.

"I love you so much." Lizzie whispered in Patrick's ear.

"I love you, too." Patrick whispered back, running his hands up and down Lizzie's back. Looking over her shoulder, he noticed her tattoo.

"When did you get that?" Patrick asked.

"I got it a long time ago. It's a long story." Lizzie answered. She wasn't in the mood to talk, just to make love with her new husband.

When both Lizzie and Patrick were through, they changed into evening wear and walked around the city.

"What are you hungry for?" Patrick asked. Lizzie shrugged her shoulders and drew her shall closer to her body. There were restaurants on both sides of the street - both the signs were in English and Spanish, so that tourists could understand them.

"How about Cabana's?" Lizzie suggested, looking at a pink building with a pink-and-white striped overhang. Patrick nodded and squeezed Lizzie's hand as the two of them walked into the restaurant.

Inside, it was dimly lit and smoky. Patrick talked to the hostess while Lizzie looked at a picture on the wall where she was standing. It was a black-and-white photograph of a large family outside the restaurant.

After the couple had dinner, they headed back to the hotel.

"What do you wanna do?" Patrick asked Lizzie when the two of them were in the shower. Lizzie shrugged her shoulders and looked down at the ground.

"Liz, is something bothering you?" Patrick asked, a bit of concern in his voice.

"No, I'm fine." Lizzie told him, looking up into his kind blue eyes. Patrick half-smiled and kissed the top of her head.

The two of them finished their shower and climbed into bed. Instantly, Patrick took Lizzie in his arms and held her close. She felt her neck extend as he kissed her neck, shoulders and worked his way down. He put Lizzie on her back and climbed on top of her. Lizzie's hands went up Patrick's shirt and lifted it off of his head. Patrick brought Lizzie forward and removed her pajama top, placing it on the floor, along with her bra. In the dark, he gently massaged her breasts as Lizzie took off his pajama pants and boxers. Patrick went inside Lizzie, exploring every part of her.

Lizzie breathed with pleasure as she watched Patrick. She absolutely loved him with all her heart.

At two o'clock in the morning, Lizzie rushed to the bathroom and flipped on the light. She went to the toilet and threw up for about ten minutes. Shaking, she got up, flushed the toilet and brushed her teeth. Turning off the light, she went back to bed and climbed in next to Patrick.

"Is everything okay?" he asked groggily.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Lizzie told him, scooting closer to him. He took her in his strong arms and held her for the rest of the night.

The next morning came and the two of them explored the city. They saw a play being performed by street performers, bought fresh apples from a vendor and walked around the park.

"You know what I would really like to do?" Lizzie asked, finishing her apple.

"What?" Patrick asked, discarding both apples in a nearby trash bin.

"I would really like to go horseback riding sometime." Lizzie told her husband, taking his hand in hers. Patrick smiled and gently squeezed Lizzie's hand.

"We can make that happen." Patrick told his wife, kissing her hand.

They found a horseback riding stable and entered it. Lizzie hadn't been on a horse in a while, so she was a little nervous.

Ten minutes later, the two of them, plus a guide, were mounted on two Lipizzaner mares - Hanja (Patrick's mare) and Jorgenia (Lizzie's mare). The three of them walked and trotted on a clearly marked trail.

A few minutes later, the three of them turned around and headed back to the barn. Lizzie and Patrick dismounted their mares and thanked their guide.

"Thank you for making that happen." Lizzie thanked her husband, kissing his cheek.

"You're welcome. I'm glad you had fun." Patrick told her, brushing a strand of hair behind Lizzie's ear. He leaned down and kissed her, placing both his hands on either side of her waist.

"Let's wait until we get back to the hotel." Lizzie told her husband, smiling.

The two of them returned to the hotel. Before going straight to the sex, they decided to call their family.

"Hello?" Kelli answered groggily.

"Hey Kelli. It's Lizzie."

"Hey girl. How -yawn- are you doing?" Kelli asked.

"We're good. How are you doing?"

"Fine. It's one o'clock in the morning here."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I was just getting up with Sara to feed her."

"How are the kids doing?"

"Fine. Ming-Na's in the school play. Marcus and Isabel are good and Sara's growin' faster than a beanstalk in June."

"That's good. I'll let you get back to feeding Sara and get some sleep."

"Thanks. Say 'hi' to Patrick for me."

"I will. Tell the kids we miss them and we send our love."

"Will do."

"Night."

"Bye."

Lizzie finished her phone conversation and turned to her husband, who was sprawled on the bed, fully clothed.

"Hey handsome." Lizzie greeted him, climbing on top of him.

"Hey beautiful." Patrick greeted his wife, kissing her cheek.

The two of them undressed the other one then climbed under the covers. Patrick suddenly got really rough, which scared Lizzie.

"Patrick, slow down!" Lizzie exclaimed.

"Hun, we've been taking it slow. This stallion wants to race!"

"Well, this mare has different ideas."

"How about we compromise - we take it slow for a while then we go fast."

"Deal."

There was no more talking after that. Patrick climbed on top of Lizzie, brushed her hair behind her shoulders and removed her glasses, placing them on the bedside table.

After ten minutes of taking it slow, Lizzie nodded for Patrick to go a little faster. She gasped as he went a little further inside her and went up and down, acting like he was doing push-ups. Lizzie moaned with pleasure as his hands went from either side of her to her breasts, caressing them in his hands like a new baby. He gently kissed each one and pulled out, kissing Lizzie's forehead. Lizzie kissed him on the lips, feeling his tongue go down her throat.

"Don't stop." Lizzie moaned.

"I won't." Patrick promised, bringing her closer to him. Sitting up, she placed her legs on either side of him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He placed his hands on her waist and went back inside of her, arousing Lizzie.

"Oh God." Lizzie moaned as Patrick gently laid her back down and climbed on top of her. He laid on top of her and listened to her heartbeat. She closed her eyes and squeezed one of his hands.

"That was amazing." Patrick told her, getting out of bed and got dressed.

"I know." Lizzie agreed, walking over to the closet and looked through her dresses. It was hot outside, so she decided on a red dress that came down to her thighs with spaghetti straps and a pair of red dancing shoes. She then went to the bathroom to brush her hair and put make-up on.

"I'm ready." Lizzie announced, looking at Patrick. He wore a red button up shirt, black pants, black shoes and a black jacket.

"You look beautiful." Patrick told her, walking over to Lizzie and kissed her shoulder. Lizzie smiled and grabbed a light sweater, just in case she got cold.

The two of them headed out of the hotel and walked to a dance club they had noticed when they were out the other day. It was called Tamale's and was in a red building. The bouncer nodded when Lizzie and Patrick showed him their passports. He opened the door and gestured them inside. Lizzie almost got blown away by the music - it was loud and it was fun.

"Let's find a place to sit!" she shouted to her husband. Patrick nodded and the two of them found a booth towards the back of the building that wasn't occupied. They then got drinks - Patrick ordered a Fuzzy Navel while Lizzie stuck to bottled water.

As soon as Patrick finished his drink, he took off his jacket and exited the booth, his hips swaying to the beat. Lizzie followed him to the crowded dance floor and felt him go behind her. Lizzie lifted her arms and danced around Patrick.

Finally, a slow song came on and both of them instantly recognized it as Unchained Melody - the song they had danced together at their wedding.

"_Oh, my love, my darling  
I've hungered for your touch, a long, lonely time  
Time goes by so slowly, and time can do so much  
Are you still mine  
I need your love  
God speed your love to me  
Lonely rivers flow to the sea, to the sea  
to the open arms of the sea  
Lonely rivers sigh, wait for me, wait for me  
I'll be coming home, wait for me._" Patrick sang in Lizzie's ear as she rested her head on his shoulder.

An hour later, Lizzie complained that she was feeling dizzy and wanted to leave the dance club. Patrick nodded, knowing better than to push her. They decided to take a cab back to the hotel, even though it was only a block away.

As soon as they were inside the hotel room, Lizzie announced that she was going to take a bath. Patrick nodded and turned on the TV.

As Lizzie soaked in the tub, she felt a little better. She looked at the bottoms of her feet - they were covered in blisters. She tried not to cry as she took some of her citrus foot cream and rubbed it on her feet. It stung a lot.

"Owww." Lizzie cried, startling Patrick. He turned off the TV and ran to the bathroom.

"Liz, can I come in?" Patrick asked, knocking on the door.

"Come in." Lizzie told her husband. Patrick opened the door and entered the bathroom. He sat down on the toilet next to the tub and looked at Lizzie.

"What's wrong, baby?" Patrick asked, starting to undress.

"I'm fine - it's just that my feet are covered in blisters and they ache." Lizzie told him. Patrick nodded and kissed her forehead.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" Patrick asked.

"I could use some company." Lizzie told him, smiling. Patrick quickly removed his shirt, pants, shoes and boxers before climbing in behind Lizzie.

"Ooh, nice and warm." Patrick said, sliding into the tub. Lizzie smiled as he drew the shower curtain closed and drew Lizzie close to him. He leaned forward and kissed her neck and shoulders. Lizzie smiled when he brushed her hair away from her face and had her lean against him.

The two of them got out of the tub and dried off, not bothering to change. Lizzie unwrapped her towel from around her and climbed in next to Patrick. He smiled and kissed her on the lips, his tongue sliding down her throat like a snake. His large hands were on her breasts, caressing them in his hands.

The two of them fell asleep around three in the morning, after two hours of wonderful, hot, sexy lovemaking. Lizzie looked over at her sleeping husband and kissed his cheek. She then fell back asleep and got comfortable.

A month later, Lizzie and Patrick packed their suitcases and headed to the airport.

"I really don't want to leave." Lizzie told her husband, looking down at her stomach. She had thrown up a total of ten times since they had been in Spain. Patrick had taken her to a doctor who told her to take a pregnancy test, just to be sure. Sure enough, Lizzie was pregnant - a few weeks along.

"I know, but we'll come back with the kids someday." Patrick told her, kissing her shoulder. Lizzie sighed and looked out the window of the cab.

They arrived at the airport a few minutes later. As they waited for their plane, Patrick disappeared into a gift shop and returned a few moments later, carrying a bag.

"Here. This is for you." Patrick told her, handing her the bag. Lizzie smiled and opened it. Inside the bag, was the soundtrack to Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, only it was in Spanish.

"How did you know that this is one of my favorite musicals?" Lizzie asked, throwing her arms around her husband's neck.

"I just know these things." he told her, kissing her cheek. Lizzie tore the paper off of the CD and put it in her carry-on bag. She would burn it onto her iPod when she got home.

They arrived in Michigan at 2:22 AM. Maureen screamed and rushed towards them as they exited the terminal. The other people that greeted them were Joanne and Eric. Patrick smiled and went to greet his brother while Joanne and Maureen hugged and pestered Lizzie.

"How was it?" Maureen asked as the girls walked ahead of the guys.

"It was beautiful - the scenery, the dancing-" Lizzie was cut off by Maureen shaking her head.

"No, I meant how was it? You know, the s-e-x." Maureen whispered.

"Maureen!" Joanne exclaimed.

"No, Joanne, it's okay." Lizzie soothed her friend. Turning to Maureen she answered, "it was amazing. He was so good in bed, I felt like I was gonna die."

_I wonder what the guys are talking about_ Lizzie asked herself as she waited for her suitcase with the girls.

"So, how was it?" Eric asked his brother.

"We had a nice time - I took a ton of pictures and we had a ton of fun." Patrick answered his brother.

"No, not the boring stuff. How was she - you know - in bed?" Eric inquired.

"Oh. She was amazing." Patrick told his brother, rushing over to Lizzie as she tried to get her pink suitcase off of the carousel.

"Honey, let me do that. We don't wanna hurt the baby. Oops." Patrick said, taking the suitcase off the carousel and placed it next to Lizzie's feet. He then grabbed his black and blue suitcase and placed it next to Lizzie's.

"You're pregnant?" Maureen exclaimed when they were in the car.

"Yeah. I was feeling nauseous and threw up ten times when we were in Spain. Patrick thought that it would be a good idea if we went to a doctor. She - the doctor - did a pelvic exam on me and sure enough, we're expecting. She said I was about five weeks along." Lizzie told her friends.

"Aww. Congratulations!" Joanne told her friend, smiling.

"How are you gonna tell the kids?" Eric asked from the front seat.

"We were planning on telling them when I got bigger." Lizzie answered.

"Speaking of which, how are they doing?" Patrick inquired.

"They're good. They stayed with me last night while Joanne ran errands." Maureen told them, smiling at Joanne. Maureen and her partner split up after a year together. Maureen's partner also won custody of Tracie and Thomas - the twins she had with Mark. After that was over, Joanne and Maureen got back together and adopted a beautiful black lab female named Angel - after the friend who held them together so many years ago.

When Lizzie and Patrick were inside the house, there was a scream of joy.

"DADDDDDDDDDDDDDYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MOMMMMMMMMMMMMMYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU'RE HOME!" Isabel screamed.

"Isabel, honey, use your inside voice." Lizzie gently reminded her daughter, smiling at Patrick.

"Sorry mommy." Isabel apologized as Marcus, Ming-Na and Kelli, who was holding Sara, came into the living room area.

The couple told the kids and Kelli about Spain, including everything they did - dancing, horseback riding and going out to eat at different restaurants and cafés each night.

When Patrick gave the kids their gifts (a teddy bear for Isabel, Ming-Na and Marcus and a sleeper for Sara), it was time for all of them to go to bed.

"I'll put them to bed. How about you two unpack and get yourselves something to eat." Kelli suggested, hugging each of them.

"Thank you, Kelli." Lizzie thanked her friend, heading upstairs with Patrick. The two of them unpacked in silence. When they were done, they decided that they weren't hungry, so they just stayed upstairs.

Patrick walked up behind Lizzie and removed her shirt and bra, leading her to the bed. His shirt, boxers and jeans, along with Lizzie's jeans and underwear, were the next things to go.

"Fast or slow tonight?" Patrick asked, cradling Lizzie in his arms.

"Neither." Lizzie answered, curling into a ball.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm not in the mood tonight."

"Baby, are you sure nothing's wrong?"

Lizzie nodded.

"Okay. Are you sure, not even for fifteen minutes?"

"For fifteen minutes an that's it." Lizzie told him. Patrick smiled and turned Lizzie on her back. Lizzie took in a deep breath as he went inside her and let it out once he was inside.

"Be careful about the baby." Lizzie reminded him, looking at her stomach.

"I will be, don't worry." Patrick re-assured her. Lizzie nodded for him to continue. He pulled out and had Lizzie go on her stomach. She shut her eyes tight as she felt him straddle her and went from the back door. Lizzie's heart was racing now. She didn't want him to stop, but on the other hand, she had a million different things to do the next day and she wanted to be fully awake to do all of it.

At five months, Lizzie was beginning to show. She was sitting on the couch, knitting when Isabel came and sat next to her. Patrick was helping Ming-Na with homework, Marcus was playing in his room and Sara was taking a nap.

"Whatcha doin?" Isabel inquired, climbing next to Lizzie on the couch.

"Knitting." Lizzie answered, looking at the young girl.

"Knitting what?" Isabel asked.

"Baby stuff. Did you know that you're going to have a new brother or sister soon?" Lizzie asked. Isabel shook her head.

"Here, feel this." Lizzie set her knitting down and placed Isabel on her lap. She took Isabel's hand in hers and had her feel her belly.

"Did you feel the baby kick?" Lizzie asked. Isabel nodded her head and smiled.

"Do you have names picked out?" Lizzie wanted to know. She had each member of her family write down on a sheet of paper a boy's name and a girl's name. So far, Lizzie and Patrick liked Lily, Hannah and Rose for a girl and Zack, Ryan and Lucas for a boy.

"For a girl Prairie Dawn and for a boy, Ernie." Isabel suggested. Lizzie smiled and picked up her knitting.

"I'll have to ask your dad about those names, sweetie." Lizzie told the young girl, kissing the top of her head.

Four months later, Lizzie and Patrick were in the emergency room, waiting for Lizzie's C-section to begin. The kids were in the waiting room with Juliet, Sean, Eric, Anne - Patrick's oldest sister and Kelli.

Twenty minutes later, Patrick, still dressed in his scrubs, walked over to his family, smiling. Everyone looked up at him and stared.

"Ming-Na, Marcus, Isabel, Sara, you have a sister - Lillian Rose. Would you like to come see her?" Patrick asked. All the children nodded their heads and followed their father to the nursery. He had Kelli and Anne follow him so that they could lift Isabel and Marcus so that they could see their sister.

"There she is." Patrick picked up Sara and pointed to a baby in the third row in the middle.

"She cute." Sara told her father. She had turned a year old when Lizzie and Patrick had been in Spain.

"She's beautiful." Kelli and Anne said in unison.

"Do you want to see mommy?" Patrick asked his kids. They all nodded and followed him to Lizzie's room.

"Be very quiet, kids. Mommy just had surgery so that they could get Lillian Rose out, so you've gotta be quiet." Patrick told his kids. They all nodded and entered the room, Patrick going first with Sara.

"Baby, you awake?" Patrick asked his wife.

"Mmm." Lizzie moaned.

"I brought company." Patrick told her, moving aside so that the kids could see their mom.

"Hi mommy." the kids greeted Lizzie in unison.

"Hi kids." Lizzie greeted him, her voice hoarse.

"We saw Lillian. She's pretty." Isabel told her mother.

"She is, isn't she?" Lizzie asked. Her voice was starting to trail off.

"Kids, how about we let mom sleep. We can see her later." Patrick told the kids. They all whined, but eventually left the room, escorted by Anne and Kellie.

"I'll take the first feeding." Patrick told his wife when the room nurse rolled in with Lillian Rose. He carefully picked her up and rocked her in his arms.

"Sir, you have more visitors." the room nurse told him. Patrick nodded, letting her know that it was okay to let the visitors into the room. Maureen, Joanne, Juliet, Sean and Eric entered, taking different seats in the room. Patrick carefully handed his daughter to his mother, who was seated in the rocking chair in the corner.

"What's her name?" Eric asked.

"Lillian Rose." Patrick whispered, handing a bottle to his mom, just in case Lillian started crying.

"Are you gonna call her Lillian or Lilly?" Sean asked when Lillian was handed to him, along with the bottle.

"We're gonna call her Lilly." Patrick answered, sitting down on the bed at Lizzie's feet.

"How's she doing?" Joanne inquired.

"She's okay - just really tired." Patrick answered, laying down next to his wife and stroked her hair.

"She's so beautiful." Maureen commented as Lilly was handed to her. She carefully held the baby slightly upright and smiled at her. Joanne looked over Maureen's shoulder at the baby.

"How much did she - never mind." Joanne started to ask Patrick when she heard snoring. Looking over at the couple, she noticed that both of them were asleep. Carefully taking Lilly from Maureen, Joanne placed the baby in her bassinet and headed out of the room, along with Patrick's family.

The sound of a baby crying woke Patrick up. Walking over to the bassinet, he looked down and saw Lilly, crying her eyes out. Carefully picking her up, he held her and fed her. She drank half the bottle and let out a burp before Patrick placed her back in the bassinet. On his way back over to the bed, an envelope caught his eye. It was bright yellow with ducks all over it. In the middle in block letters were the words 'Lillian Rose'. Patrick opened the envelope and saw a card with matching ducks on it. The inside was blank, except for handwritten words in cursive:

_Lillian Rose:_

_L is for Lovely because you are  
I is for Intelligent, because you are  
L is for Loveable, because you are  
L is for Loyal, because you are  
I is for Infinite, because that's how much love you'll receive  
A is for Adorable, because you are  
N is for Nice, because you are_

_R is for Ridiculously cute, because you are  
O is for Ornery, which you are not  
S is for Sweet, which you are  
E is for Edelweiss, the family song, which you'll love_

_Love from your family,  
Aunt Maureen Johnson  
&  
Aunt Joanne Jefferson_

Patrick felt his eyes well up with tears at the thoughtful card that Joanne and Maureen had left for Lillian Rose.

Two days later, both mom and baby were able to come home, so Patrick was happy about that.


	19. Ciaos

A/N: hey everyone! i'm glad to see that i have new reviewers/readers. yay! anyway, my org. idea was to make this story 22 chapters, but there's still so much that i want to put in, so i'm gonna make it 26 chapters. i'm sorry to say that there will be no sequel, but i am going to keep writing - i have a rent story like this in the works (actually, it's in the back of my head) that is untitled at the moment.

As this story goes on, there will be fewer plot twists (i love plot twists, so that's why i have them in almost every single chapter). if any of you have any ideas of what should happen, let me know and i will try to add them to my story.

Okay, i'm gonna stop my rambling so that you can enjoy the story and not my extremly long author's note - lol. love, peace and happiness from Maureen Elphaba Thropp.

* * *

CHAPTER NINETEEN  
(chapter title - Ciaos)

_You can complain that roses have thorns, or you can rejoice because thorns have roses - _  
Ziggy

Once Lizzie was at home with Lillian, both of Patrick's parents moved in with them.

"Mommy! Marcus keeps hitting me!" Isabel complained, walking into the nursery while Lizzie was feeding Lillian. Marcus was right behind her, hitting her with a stuffed monkey. After putting Lillian in her crib, Lizzie walked over to the kids and took the stuffed monkey away from them.

"I want both of you to go to your rooms and don't come out for fifteen minutes." Lizzie told them, closing the door of the nursery. Marcus and Isabel walked to their rooms and closed their doors.

Lizzie sighed and turned on the baby monitor as she sat down next to Patrick, who was on the couch, working on his laptop. She rested her head on his shoulder. Patrick shut his laptop and looked over at Lizzie.

"What's wrong?" he asked, kissing the top of Lizzie's head.

"Isabel and Marcus came into the nursery when I was feeding Lillian and Isabel was complaining that Marcus was hitting her with a stuffed monkey, so I sent them to their rooms." Lizzie told her husband. Patrick let out a frustrated sigh and walked to Isabel's room. Lizzie turned on the TV as Ming-Na sat down next to her.

"Grandma wants to know what you want to drink with dinner." Ming-Na told her mother.

"Lemonade, sweetheart." Lizzie answered, flipping through the channels. Ming-Na nodded and walked away.

Twenty minutes later, the seven of them were gathered around the dining room table. Lizzie inhaled the sweet smells - mashed potatoes, meatloaf, gravy and green beans. Lizzie was just about to dish up dinner for herself when the baby monitor went off. She excused herself and went to the nursery.

"Hey baby girl. What's wrong?" Lizzie asked her baby, carefully picking her up. She walked around the room with her, Lillian screaming her head off. Lizzie changed Lilly's diaper and fed her before putting her back in the crib. Lizzie decided not to put Lilly back in her crib, but put her in her fun chair at the table.

Bringing her baby downstairs, she saw her family still sitting at the table. Lizzie smiled as she sat down next to her husband and balanced her baby on her lap.

"Do you want me to hold her while you eat?" Patrick asked. Lizzie nodded her head and handed her daughter to her husband. He kissed her cheeks and held her in his arms. Lizzie smiled and quickly ate her dinner. The conversation went from sports to Ming-Na in the spring musical.

"What part are you playing, sweetheart?" Juliet asked while Lizzie, Ming-Na and Sean cleared the table and put the dishes in the dishwasher.

"I'm a goldfish." Ming-Na told her, smiling.

"Do you have a costume yet?" Juliet inquired. Ming-Na shook her head.

"How about tomorrow, you and I go to the fabric store and get some fabric for your costume, okay?" Juliet suggested. Ming-Na smiled and nodded her head.

"Okay, sweetie, go take your bath and put your pajamas on. I'll be in to say goodnight to you after I feed Lilly." Lizzie told her daughter. Ming-Na kissed Lizzie's cheek and wished everyone goodnight.

Later that night, when all the kids were asleep, Lizzie was laying in Patrick's arms, just enjoying his company.

"It's been so crazy around here." Lizzie told her husband, lying on her side. Patrick nodded and kissed her neck.

"If we have two more kids, we could pass off for the Von Trapp family." Patrick joked. Lizzie lightly punched his arm and laughed.

"I think five kids is enough for anyone." Lizzie told him, moving closer to him. She felt the fabric of his boxers against her skin. She was naked except for a matching pair of a bra and underwear that Patrick had given her. He was in a pair of black-and-green plaid boxers and a pair of wool socks. She felt Patrick unsnap her bra and discard it onto the floor. He gently spread her on her back and rubbed her back, his large hands moving gently up and down.

"Don't stop." Lizzie told him, arching her back like a cat.

"I won't." Patrick promised. Lizzie suddenly sat up and felt tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Liz, what's wrong?" Patrick asked, taking Lizzie in his arms. She threw her arms around his neck and cried. Patrick soothed Lizzie as much as he could, but nothing worked.

"It's just that I've missed the cats - Mitzi and Snowball." Lizzie told him once she calmed down. Patrick nodded his head sadly - Mitzi had died of old age and Snowball had run away from home and he never came back.

"I know, baby, I know. I've missed them, too." Patrick soothed, rocking Lizzie gently in his arms. She wiped the tears out of her eyes and apologized for crying. Patrick shook his head and told her not to be sorry and that both of the cats had led long and healthy lives. Lizzie nodded and nuzzled Patrick's shoulder. Both of them laid back down, but they didn't go to sleep right away. Lizzie removed Patrick's boxers while Patrick removed Lizzie's underwear and put his hand between her legs. He later removed his hand and climbed on top of her. Lizzie was beginning to sweat, so she kicked the blankets off of her, accidentally kicking Patrick in the groin.

"I'm so sorry." Lizzie apologized.

"It's okay." Patrick told her, climbing back on top of Lizzie. He spread her legs apart and went inside her, kissing her face and worked his way down. Lizzie just laid there, enjoying him.

"I don't want to go to work tomorrow." Lizzie complained. She had gotten a job at Wal-Mart, working in the clothing department, which she kind of liked. Patrick worked in an office supply store, which he sort of liked.

"Call in sick." Patrick told her, tracing the tattoo on Lizzie's back.

"I have to go in - I haven't been-to-work-in-for-ever." Lizzie told him in between kisses. Patrick kissed Lizzie's breasts and worked his way down. Lizzie just laid stiff as a board and let Patrick do his thing.

The next morning, Lizzie woke up to find Patrick's side of the bed empty. She quickly changed into a pair of jeans and a bright green long sleeved t-shirt. Heading down the stairs, she smelled pancakes and bacon.

"Something smells good." Lizzie announced, sitting down at one of the barstools. Juliet smiled and turned around.

"I was wondering when you would wake up." Juliet teased and placed a plate in front of Lizzie.

"Where is everyone?" Lizzie asked, taking a bite of pancake. She could feel the butter melt in her mouth.

"Ming-Na, Isabel, Marcus and Sara are at their schools, your husband is at work, Lillian is with her grandfather and you're up." Juliet answered, sitting down next to Lizzie.

Lizzie finished her breakfast and headed downstairs to do the laundry. She hummed to herself as she poured the liquid detergent into the washer and a load of whites into it. She closed the lid of the washer and headed back upstairs. As she headed up the stairs, Lizzie felt nauseous. Shaking off the feeling, she was almost to the top when she ran into the bathroom and vomited.

Deciding a nap would help her, she laid down on the couch in the family room and turned on the TV. Her favorite TV show was on, so she watched a little bit of it. Even though she had a blanket on, Lizzie had the chills and was shaking.

Lizzie quickly got off the couch and ran to the bathroom and closed the door behind her. She closed her eyes as she went to the bathroom - she had diarrhea and constipation.

Around lunchtime, Juliet made some soup, but Lizzie didn't feel like anything.

"Are you all right, dear?" Juliet asked, sitting down next to Lizzie on the couch. Lizzie shook her head as Juliet ran a hand through Lizzie's hair.

"What's wrong?" Juliet inquired. She was a retired nurse, so maybe she would know what was going on with Lizzie.

"I'm nauseous and I've also vomited, had constipation, diarrhea and both chills and shaking. I'm also not hungry." Lizzie answered. Juliet felt Lizzie's forehead.

"I'm going to take your temperature. If it's over 100, I'm going to take you to the hospital. If it's lower than 100, you should be fine." Juliet told her, walking to the medicine cabinet so that she could get the thermometer. She had Lizzie open her mouth and place it under her tongue. Lizzie kept her mouth shut and continued to watch TV while Juliet set the timer on the stove for fifteen minutes.

Fifteen minutes later, Juliet checked Lizzie's temperature - it was 101.2.

"I'm going to take you to the hospital. Come on." Juliet urged, getting a coat for Lizzie and helped her put on her boots.

"Sean! I'm taking Lizzie to the hospital. We'll be back soon." Juliet called to her husband. He called back a reply as Juliet and Lizzie headed into the bitter cold.

It was worse than Juliet feared - the doctor told her that Lizzie had appendicitis and her appendix would have to be removed as soon as possible. While the doctor prepared Lizzie for surgery, Juliet called her family. Within half an hour, Patrick, Ming-Na, Sean, Lillian, Sara, Marcus, Isabel, Anne, Eric and Kelli were at the hospital. Five minutes later, Joanne and Maureen arrived. Juliet led them to the viewing room of the emergency room.

"How's she doing?" Patrick asked, tears filling his eyes.

"The doctor said that she caught it in the early stages, so she'll live." Juliet told her family, not taking her eyes off of her daughter-in-law.

Half an hour later, Patrick and the four oldest kids were in Lizzie's hospital room, sitting on different chairs around the room, except Patrick, who was sitting on the bed. He gathered Lizzie in his arms and cried.

"Daddy, don't cry." Marcus told his dad. Patrick sniffled and ruffled Marcus's hair.

"I'm just worried about mommy." Patrick told him in between sobs. Marcus hugged one of his daddy's legs before going back to his chair next to Ming-Na.

"Mr. Davies, can I talk to you for a moment?" the doctor - Dr. Ash - asked. Patrick nodded and put Ming-Na in charge of watching her siblings. Little Sara hopped off her chair and followed her dad out into the hall, staying out of sight.

"As you know, your wife has appendicitis, and we went ahead and removed her appendix. She'll be on two different medications - one for the pain and the other one to keep her fever down. It spiked to 109 while we were taking out her appendix, but it went down to 103 once we stitched her back up. The anesthesia should be wearing off soon, so just keep talking to her. She should be ready to go home in about three days. Once she's home, she needs to stay in bed most of the day and she needs to eat something at least twice daily. Keep away from milk products, coffee, alcohol and driving for at least a week. Also, if she's working, she should probably take at least two weeks off of work. One last thing, if she's nursing, she should probably bottle feed the baby." the doctor told him. Patrick thanked the doctor as he wrote out the prescriptions for Lizzie's medicines. Sighing, he headed back into the room and faced the kids - he didn't know how to tell them.

"Kids, can I have your attention for a minute?" Patrick asked the kids. All eyes were on him.

"Your mom has a sickness called appendicitis, which means that her appendix wasn't working right, which made her really sick. She'll be okay, but she'll just need to stay in bed for a long time. While she's resting, I don't want any of you to bother her unless it's an emergency. Also, mommy will be on two different medications - one for the pain and the other for her fever. Her fever got really high when they were taking out mommy's appendix and it went back down, which is good. When we get home, I'm going to make a list of stuff all of you can do while mommy's resting, okay?" Patrick told his kids. Marcus's hand went up and Patrick nodded to him.

"What's an appendix?" he asked.

"It's a small organ located on the right side of the abdomen." Patrick explained.

The kids ended up spending a little longer with their mother before Juliet came to take them home. Patrick ended up staying with his wife overnight.

"Patrick?" Lizzie croaked. Patrick got up from the chair he was sleeping in and walked over to the bed.

"What's wrong?" Patrick asked, squatting down next to the bed. Lizzie shook her head and scooted over so that Patrick could sleep in the bed as well.

"Honey, I don't want to pull a cord out and have something happen to you." Patrick told her, kissing her forehead, eyelids, cheeks and her neck.

"I understand." Lizzie told him, her voice hoarse.

"The kids were in to visit you." Patrick whispered, scooting the chair that was next to the bed closer so that he could sit and talk to her. Lizzie smiled slightly.

Lizzie ended up falling asleep around one in the morning, whereas Patrick stayed awake the whole night.

The next morning, Lizzie heard someone singing to her. She recognized the song as Bring Him Home - her favorite song from the musical, Les Misérables. The person that was singing it was Patrick - Lizzie would recognize his voice anywhere.

"_God on high  
Hear my prayer  
In my need  
You have always been there_

_He is young  
He's afraid  
Let him rest  
Heaven blessed.  
Bring him home  
Bring him home  
Bring him home._" Patrick sang, rubbing his thumb up and down Lizzie's knuckle that didn't have the IV in it. The room nurse came in for breakfast for Lizzie and a newspaper for Patrick. He thanked her as she exited the room.

"Liz, honey, wake up." Patrick pleaded. She stretched and looked over at her husband, smiling.

"Hey." she greeted, her voice still a little hoarse. Patrick smiled and kissed her on the cheek as he helped her eat her breakfast. She slowly shook her head as Patrick cut up the pancakes for her into bite-sized pieces.

"Honey, you have to eat something." Patrick told her. Lizzie picked up the fork and ate three pieces of pancake. She also drank half of the orange juice.

The rest of the day was filled with visitors - Maureen, Joanne, the kids, Kelli, Patrick's parents and Patrick's siblings. Lizzie's eyes welled up with tears as little Lillian was brought in for a visit. Because of Lillian not having her shots yet, Lizzie only got to spend five minutes with her daughter.

As Lizzie slept that afternoon, Patrick stayed next to the bed, singing to her.

"_He's like the son I might have known  
If God had granted me a son.  
The summers die  
One by one  
How soon they fly  
On and on  
And I am old  
And will be gone._" Patrick crooned. He had sung all his life and was even on Broadway in the musical Enchanted as Prince Edward before he met Lizzie.

Two days later, Lizzie came home and to celebrate, Patrick had a Welcome Home party with a movie theme. He was dressed as Rhett Butler from _Gone With the Wind_ whereas Lizzie dressed as Stella from _A Streetcar Named Desire_. Maureen and Joanne came dressed as nuns from _The Sound of Music_. Each of the kids decided to dress up, too. Ming-Na was Christine from _Phantom of the Opera_; Isabel was Glinda from _The Wizard of Oz_; Sara was Annie from_ Annie_ and Marcus was Raoul from _Phantom of the Opera_. Juliet and Sean volunteered to watch Lillian while her parents had fun.

After everyone had left, Patrick put the kids to bed while Lizzie got out of her dress and changed into her pajamas and went to sleep. Patrick climbed in next to her and gently took her in his arms.

"_Bring him peace  
Bring him joy  
He is young  
He is only a boy._" Patrick sang into Lizzie's ear. She stirred, but didn't wake up.

The next day, Patrick took care of Lizzie while the kids - except Lillian - helped out around the house. Juliet and Sean watched Lillian and kept an eye on the kids.

"Here you go, mommy." Sara said as she came walking into the master bedroom. She had made lunch for her mom, which consisted of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, dried Fruit Loops, a glass of milk and two pills.

"Thank you, sweetheart." Lizzie thanked her daughter while Patrick adjusted the pillows so that Lizzie could sit up and eat her lunch.

After lunch, Patrick took the tray back downstairs as Marcus and Isabel came into the room.

"What can I do for you two today?" Lizzie asked, closing her eyes.

"We came to sing a song for you that we found in a shoebox." Isabel told her. Lizzie sat up quickly, wincing at the pain in her side.

"Really? What song is it?" Lizzie inquired, massaging her side. Isabel looked at her brother and nodded.

"_My life flows on in endless song  
Above earth's lamentation.  
I hear the real, thought far off hymn  
That hails the new creation  
Above the tumult and the strife,  
I hear the music ringing;  
It sounds an echo in my soul  
How can I keep from singing?_" Isabel started. Lizzie smiled and felt tears in her eyes. Before he died, Roger would sing this song to her whenever she was feeling sad or depressed.

"_What through the tempest loudly roars,  
I hear the truth, it liveth.  
What through the darkness round me close,  
Songs in the night it giveth.  
No storm can shake my inmost calm  
While to that rock I'm clinging.  
Since love is lord of Heaven and earth  
How can I keep from singing?_" Patrick's sweet voice came from the hallway. He walked into the room and sat down on the bed at Lizzie's feet.

"_When men of war come bang the drum  
And march their troops before us  
Then friends of peace link hand in hand  
And join as one in chorus  
Their voices rise from every land  
An anthem sweetly ringing  
I hear their song of Peace on Earth  
How can I keep from singing?_" Marcus sang. Patrick put his son on his lap as Isabel walked next to her dad and stood next to him. Then they all turned so that they were facing Lizzie.

"_My life flows on in endless song  
Above earths lamentation  
I hear the real though far-off hymn  
That hails a new creation  
Through all the tumult and the strife  
I hear the music ringing  
It sounds an echo in my soul  
How can I keep from singing?_" The three of them sang, their voices blending beautifully.

"Bravo!" Lizzie cheered when the three of them had finished. Isabel and Marcus took a bow and exited the room while Patrick climbed under the covers and gathered Lizzie in his arms.

"I'm so proud of you for going through the surgery and being so brave throughout all of this." Patrick whispered and nuzzled Lizzie's hair. She smiled and winced as Patrick places both his hands on either side of her waist and pulled her on top of him.

"I'm so sorry." Patrick apologized, kissing Lizzie's forehead.

"It's okay." Lizzie told him as he carefully removed her shirt and put it on the floor. He then unsnapped her bra and put it on the floor with her shirt.

"Leave my bottom half on, please. I'm not in the mood." Lizzie told him, her voice firm. Patrick nodded and carefully placed Lizzie on her back. He massaged her back and neck, gently singing to her.

"_You can take  
You can give  
Let him be  
Let him live  
If I die, let me die  
Let him live  
Bring him home  
Bring him home  
Bring him home._" Patrick crooned, kissing the nape of Lizzie's neck. She moaned softly and turned over on her back. Patrick gently kissed each inch of her, except the stitches where her appendix was.

The two of them took a nap together, but were awakened by Sara clearing her throat. Lizzie pulled the covers over her as Patrick sat up.

"What is it, honey?" Patrick asked.

"I wrote you a poem." Sara answered.

"Honey, daddy and I are trying to take a nap. Can we hear it later?" Lizzie asked. Sara's bottom lip trembled and she exited the room, heading down the stairs.

"I'll go." Patrick told his wife. Lizzie nodded and put her shirt and bra back on, with help from Patrick before she fell back asleep.

An hour later, she was awakened by Patrick shaking her.

"What?" she croaked.

"My dad had a stroke and I'm going with him to the hospital. I'll help you move downstairs so that my mom can keep an eye on you and the kids." Patrick told her, gathering her in his strong arms. He carefully headed downstairs and placed her on the blue couch in the family room.

"Is your dad gonna be okay?" Lizzie asked as Patrick placed both throw blankets over her and adjusted the pillows that Ming-Na had brought from her room.

"I hope so. I'll call you from the hospital when I get there, okay?" Patrick told her, kissing her forehead and headed out the door.

Lizzie cried that afternoon with Juliet. Lizzie couldn't imagine life without Sean - sure he was quiet, but he was sweet, kind, funny and down-to-earth. The two of them had celebrated their fortieth wedding anniversary a month ago, which was a lot of fun.

When the kids were asleep and Lizzie was watching a documentary on giraffes on Animal Planet, Patrick called.

"He's gone." Patrick sobbed. Lizzie felt the bottom of her stomach drop out from under her. She couldn't speak.

"I'm so sorry. Is there anything I can do?" Lizzie asked, what seemed like an eternity later.

"Not right now. I really don't want you to come to the hospital. Is my mom there?"

"No - she went to bed after she finished feeding Lillian." Lizzie told him.

"God, I didn't believe it would be this soon." Patrick told her.

"I know, honey. I'm really sorry." Lizzie apologized, putting the TV on mute as she talked to her husband.

Patrick came home around midnight and instantly walked up to Lizzie, who was fast asleep on the couch. He sat down on the floor in front of her and stroked her hair. Lizzie's eyes fluttered open and she threw her hands around her husband's neck.

"I'm so sorry, honey." Lizzie apologized, running her fingers through Patrick's hair. He rubbed her back and continued to cry. Lizzie's hands went from Patrick's hair to rubbing Patrick's back. Patrick carefully put Lizzie on his lap and together, the two of them cried, not saying a word.

"I'll help plan the funeral, since I have nothing better to do." Lizzie spoke up after a few moments.

"Thank you, but I think my siblings and I have it figured out." Patrick said, kissing Lizzie's forehead.

"Let me help out somehow. He was like a second dad to me." Lizzie pleaded. Patrick nodded and rested his forehead on hers.

* * *

Two months later, Lizzie put on her best black dress and a pair of black dress shoes before heading downstairs where Patrick and the kids were waiting for her. They headed to the church, where Juliet was waiting for them.

As the funeral went on, Lizzie couldn't seem to get rid of the tears that were in her eyes. The congregation rose to sing 'O Lord Watch Over Me', but Lizzie stayed seated. She didn't feel like singing at the moment.  
After the hymn was sung, everyone sat down, except Lizzie, who was going to say a few words about Sean.

"Hello. I'm Lizzie Davies - Patrick's wife. It's so hard to say what I want about this man. He was amazing - taking care of my five kids when I had surgery and always telling me a story from when Patrick was a kid. A friend of mine said, "You said how lucky we were that we were all friends. But it was you, honey, who were the lucky one." She said that at my mother's funeral and I always remember to quote her whenever I have to speak. I'm rambling, so I'm gonna wrap this up. To Sean - may he rest in peace forever." Lizzie concluded and sat down next to Patrick. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed her cheek.

After the funeral, everyone headed outside. It was drizzling, which didn't bother Lizzie. She threw a handful of dirt onto Sean's coffin. She then returned to her family and held baby Lillian in her arms.

When they returned home, Lizzie told Marcus, Sara and Isabel to take a nap and Ming-Na to work on her homework. She then put Lillian in her crib and walked across the hall to her and Patrick's room.

"You did great, honey." Patrick told her as Lizzie changed out of her dress.

"Thanks." Lizzie thanked him, feeling him step behind her and wrap his arms around her. His skin was warm against hers as they headed to the bed. Patrick untied the black-and-white ribbon that was around Lizzie's braid and unbraided her hair, letting her hair fall to her shoulders. After he did that, he put a condom on and went to work.

After an hour of lovemaking, Lizzie felt tears in her eyes. She found a pair of clean underwear, a bra, her favorite pair of jeans and a shirt. She put them on before heading downstairs. She saw Juliet in the kitchen, getting a start on dinner.

"Let me help." Lizzie said, walking next to her mother-in-law. Juliet smiled and put an arm around Lizzie's shoulders.

"Sean would've been proud of you, sweetie." Juliet said, letting Lizzie stir the soup that was in the pot.

"When I get upset, I tend to ramble and I can't control myself." Lizzie told her, wiping the tears out of her eyes.

There was silence before Lizzie started humming a song that Roger had written a while ago.

"_Five hundred twenty-five thousand  
Six hundred minutes  
Five hundred twenty five thousand  
Moments so dear  
Five hundred twenty-five thousand  
Six hundred minutes_

_How do you measure, measure a year?_

_In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee  
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife  
In five hundred twenty-five thousand  
Six hundred minutes  
How do you measure a year in the life?_

_How about love?  
How about love?  
How about love?  
Measure in love. Seasons of love.  
Seasons of love._" Lizzie sang softly.

"What are you singing?" Juliet asked.

"Just a song my first husband wrote." Lizzie told her, getting out a cutting board and some carrots to add to the soup. Juliet was making her famous chicken noodle soup for dinner.

"What's it called?" Juliet inquired.

"Seasons of Love." Lizzie answered.

"It's beautiful." Juliet told her.

"Thanks. Whenever I sing it, I feel like he's still in the room with me."

"What happened to him?"

"He died a long time ago."

"I'm sorry." Juliet apologized.

"It's okay - he's in heaven with Sean and the rest of our friends." Lizzie told her, feeling Patrick come up behind her and rest his chin on the top of her head.

At dinner, everyone was quiet - even Ming-Na, who was very talkative.

"I'll help get the kids ready before I go pack." Juliet told the couple. Lizzie nodded her head and looked up at Patrick. He kissed the end of her nose and put a hand on her back, guiding her to their bedroom.

"Why does your mom have to leave us?" Lizzie asked, taking off her shirt and put on her Detroit Lions sweatshirt and Eeyore pajama bottoms.

"She has a house to look after and things that she needs to do." Patrick told her, taking off his shirt and put on a Fighting Irish t-shirt and a pair of pajama bottoms that had beer bottles on them.

"I don't want your mom to go." Lizzie told her husband, snuggling close to him. He kissed her neck and nodded. Lizzie felt tears in her eyes as she slept. Juliet had become like her second mother, so it was hard to see her go.

"I'm gonna miss your mom." Lizzie spoke up after a moment's silence. Juliet was going back to her condo in Florida, so Lizzie would miss her so much. She knew that Juliet would come back for Christmas, like she always did.

"I'm gonna miss her, too." Patrick mumbled into the pillow. Lizzie sighed and let herself go to sleep. Neither of them was in the mood for making love, which was unusual, especially for Patrick.

Lizzie let out a sleepy moan and adjusted her position. She was just about to go back to sleep when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Patrick mumbled. Sara entered the room, dressed in a Princess Giselle nightgown and holding a stuffed bear.

"I couldn't sleep. Can I sleep with you guys?" she asked, still standing in the doorway. Patrick nodded and made room for her on the bed between himself and Lizzie.

"Which bear do you have?" Patrick asked, tucking his daughter in.

"Penny." Sara answered, yawning. Patrick kissed Sara's forehead and the end of Penny's nose before drifting off to sleep. Once Sara was asleep, he gently picked her up and carried her to the room she shared with Marcus on the second floor. Tucking her in, Patrick kissed her forehead and exited the room, leaving the door open a crack, just the way that Sara liked it.


	20. Time To Say Goodbye

A/N: hey everyone! i'm back for good this time! i wrote this chapter at school, so that's why i didn't get around to updating Blue Skies in a while. this might be my last plot twist, i'm not sure, though. i hope that everyone is enjoying Blue Skies :). i'm gonna make this a/n short so that all of you can enjoy Blue Skies. love, peace and happiness - M.E.T.

ps - there are only 4 chapters left. i am still accepting reviews, so don't hesitate to review.

one more thing, u read u REVIEW (please)

* * *

CHAPTER TWENTY  
(chapter title – Time To Say Goodbye)

_When I'm alone, I dream of the horizon and words fail me.  
__There is no light in a room where there is no sun.__  
And__ there is no sun if you're not with me.  
__From every window unfurls my heart, the heart that you have won.  
__Into me you've poured the light,  
__The light that you found by the side of the road.  
_Sarah Brightman in "Time To Say Goodbye"

The next day was an extremely emotional one for Lizzie and her family. It was the day that Juliet, Patrick's mother, was leaving for good. She would be moving back into her condo in Florida.

"Who's gonna help me with my costumes?" Ming-Na asked as she hugged her grandma.

"I'm sure your mom or dad can help you." Juliet answered, kissing her cheek. Marcus, Sara and Isabel had tears streaming down their cheeks as each one of them hugged their grandma.

"Make sure not to cry too much and stay out of trouble." Juliet told Lillian as she held her, not sure if she would understand or not. Finally, it was Lizzie's turn to say goodbye to Juliet.

"Thank you so much for everything." Lizzie whispered in Juliet's ear. Juliet hugged Lizzie tighter as Lizzie felt tears in her eyes.

"You're welcome, sweetheart. The next time you're in Orlando, look me up." Juliet told her, letting go of Lizzie and got into Patrick's car. He was going to drive his mother to the airport while Lizzie watched the kids.

Forty-five minutes later, Patrick was back. He walked up to Lizzie, who was sitting on the floor, doing a puzzle with a picture of kittens on it with Ming-Na, Sara, Marcus and Isabel while Lillian slept in her pack-and-play nearby. Patrick sat down next to Sara and looked at the puzzle piece in his hand. Lizzie shot a questioning look at her husband.

While Sara, Marcus, Isabel and Lillian took naps and Ming-Na worked on her dance routine, Patrick and Lizzie went upstairs for a little quality time together.

Lizzie closed the door behind her and took a deep breath. Walking into the room, she closed her eyes as Patrick went behind her and removed her shirt.

"We haven't done this in forever." Patrick purred in Lizzie's ear as he led her to the bed, removing her bra and put it on top of her shirt. Lizzie removed his shirt and wrapped a finger around some of his chest hair as they laid next to each other.

"I know. It's been crazy around here." Lizzie told him, resting her head on his chest. Patrick placed both hands on her belly and moved them up and down.

"What are you up for?" Patrick asked, gathering Lizzie in his arms. Lizzie shrugged her shoulders and brushed her hair behind her ears.

"I guess I'm not really in the mood today." Lizzie answered after a while, getting out of bed and put her clothes back on. She then headed downstairs and started on dinner. Isabel came into the kitchen and sat at the counter, watching Lizzie work.

"Whatcha doing?" Isabel asked.

"Making dinner." Lizzie replied, getting out a large pot and filled it with water before placing it on the stove.

"What are we having?" Isabel inquired.

"We're having chicken noodle soup." Lizzie responded, getting the chicken broth out of the cupboard.

"Where are your mommy and daddy?" Isabel piped up after a while.

"Honey, they're not around anymore. Did you want to meet them?"

"Yeah."

"My mom passed away when I was sixteen and my dad passed away when I was twenty. My older brothers – Steve and Paul – took care of me for a little bit, but they've passed away, too, along with my niece, Sara."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did they pass away?"

"It was their time, honey."

"Oh."

It was silent for a while before Ming-Na, Marcus and Sara entered the kitchen. Lizzie smiled at her kids and let them help out with dinner. Patrick came downstairs and smiled when he saw the kids helping out.

"Okay, what did you bribe them with this time?" Patrick asked, wrapping his arms around Lizzie's waist and kissed the back of her neck.

"Nothing. They all offered to help out." Lizzie told him, looking over her shoulder and kissed him on the cheek.

After supper, the whole family went to see The Spiderwick Chronicles. They even invited Kelli and her boyfriend, Chris, to join them, but they politely declined – they had other plans.

When the family returned from the movies, the message light was blinking on the answering machine. Lizzie listened to the messages while Patrick and Ming-Na put the younger ones to bed.

_"Hey our favorite family! It's Maureen and Joanne just letting you know that we have two surprises for you – we're expecting twins in the spring of next year – just in time for Joanne's birthday. Hope all is well. We miss all of you terribly and would love you to come and visit us soon! I've gotta go – Joanne just got home. We send our love. Bye!" _Maureen's cheery message made Lizzie smile. She decided to keep the message and play it for the others.

_"This message is for Patrick. Patrick, this is Gavin DeRodes – we talked earlier this month. We would love to have you with us, but unfortunately, we are full right now. If something happens, we'll make sure to let you know. Have a good day. Bye."_ Lizzie kept that message and listened to the rest of them, unaware that Patrick was behind her, kissing the back of her neck as his large hands went up and down her back.

_"Hey bro! It's Eric. Listen, I've been having a really crummy week and I was wondering if I could come and stay with you guys for a while. I hope you don't mind an extra person in the house. It's __perfectly__ fine if you say 'no' – I'll understand. Call me back when you can. Bye."_

When Lizzie was done listening to the messages, she and Patrick headed upstairs and got ready for bed.

"Honey, who's Gavin DeRodes?" Lizzie asked, changing into a pink nightshirt with a white rabbit on it and pink pajama bottoms.

"He's the head of this big office firm. I called him to see if he had a job opening." Patrick answered, taking everything off except his boxers and socks.

"Oh. Why didn't you tell me you were gonna talk to him?" Lizzie inquired, heading to the bathroom to brush her teeth. Patrick was right behind her.

"I didn't think that it would be important." Patrick told her, putting toothpaste on his toothbrush as Lizzie spit into the sink.

"You still could have told me." Lizzie said, her voice firm.

"Honey, it's not that important. I don't feel like arguing with you right now." Patrick stated. Lizzie rolled her eyes and finished brushing her teeth. She went to her side of the bed and picked up her copy of _Jane Eyre_. Patrick entered the room and turned on the TV to the news.

Lizzie ended up falling asleep around midnight while Patrick fell asleep around two.

The next morning, Lizzie woke up and quickly got dressed. She kissed Patrick on the cheek before exiting the room. She then walked across the hall and knocked on Marcus' bedroom door. She heard him get out of bed and shuffle around the room. She then walked downstairs and knocked on Sara and Isabel's bedroom door. They stirred inside and shuffled around their room. Heading downstairs to Ming-Na's room, she knocked on the door, turned on the overhead light and headed inside. Ming-Na's room was painted light purple on one side and light green on the other. Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom movie posters hung on the walls. There was also a picture of Roger's band – The Well Hungarians – hanging over Ming-Na's bed.

Ming-Na's queen-sized bed was pushed against a far wall and had a purple duvet cover on it. Across from the bed were mirrors and a dance floor, which Ming-Na used every single day.

In the middle of the bed, was Ming-Na, curled in a ball and breathing lightly. Lizzie gently nudged Ming-Na as her alarm went off. Moaning, Ming-Na stirred and opened her eyes.

"Morning, sleepyhead." Lizzie greeted her daughter. Ming-Na moaned again and got out of bed.

"What do you want to wear today?" Lizzie asked, walking to the closet that was painted purple on the green side of the room.

"Doesn't matter." Ming-Na told her, stretching. Lizzie pulled out a pair of jeans, a blue shirt with Tinkerbell on it. To the right of Tinkerbell were the words 'It Wasn't Me' in black block letters, and a blue shrug. Ming-Na smiled and motioned for Lizzie to leave the room so that she could get dressed.

Heading back upstairs, Lizzie started on breakfast for her family. Turning on the radio to a talk show, she listened as she got breakfast ready. Marcus was the first to arrive at the breakfast table. He was dressed in a Detroit Redwings jersey and blue jeans. Lizzie smiled and put a plate of pancakes in front of him. He started to reach for one when Lizzie shook her head. Marcus leaned back in his chair and sulked.

Sara and Isabel were the next to arrive. Sara was wearing a pink sweater with black pants. Isabel was wearing a blue fuzzy sweater and nice blue jeans. It was picture day at the school where Marcus, Isabel and Sara attended.

Finally, Ming-Na arrived, dressed in the outfit her mother had picked out for her. She joined her brother and sisters at the table as Patrick came downstairs carrying Lillian. Lizzie smiled and walked over to her husband and daughter.

After breakfast, Lizzie tended to Lillian while Patrick handed each of his kids their lunch and saw them off to the bus, except Ming-Na, who carpooled with her best friend, Carla, and her family.

After all the kids were gone, Lizzie sat with Lillian, watching TV.

"Honey, I gotta go. I'll see you when I get home from work." Patrick told her, kissing her cheek. Lizzie nodded and blew him a kiss. He caught it and put it in his pocket, making Lizzie smile.

As Lillian took a nap, Lizzie fixed herself a tuna sandwich, chips, carrots, apples and a glass of Diet Coke. She watched A Knight's Tale – her favorite Heath Ledger movie – as she ate, keeping an ear open for Lillian's crying on the baby monitor.

Towards the middle of the movie, Lizzie decided to check on her sleeping baby. Putting the movie on pause, she quickly finished her sandwich and headed upstairs. Lillian was sleeping on her stomach and looked quite comfortable. Lizzie stood at the crib, watching her baby sleep. Lizzie twirled the mobile that was at the foot of the crib and left the room.

Unpausing her movie, Lizzie continued to watch it. During her favorite scene where Paul Bettany's character, introduced Heath Ledger's character as Sir Ulrich Von Lichtenstein, there was sniffling coming from the baby monitor. Pausing the movie, Lizzie rushed upstairs and tended to her baby. Lillian was now crying and carrying on.

"Shh, sweetie, it's okay." Lizzie soothed, bouncing her baby in her arms. Lillian was still screaming, which was not like her – usually, she was calm and quiet. Now, she couldn't get comfortable. Lizzie sniffed her daughter's diaper – she didn't need to be changed and she didn't feel wet. _Maybe she's thirsty _Lizzie thought, carefully taking her baby downstairs and prepared a bottle for her. Lillian spit out the bottle and continued to cry. Lizzie felt her daughter's forehead – she was burning up. The bottom of Lizzie's stomach dropped – her baby was sick.

As the tears streamed down her cheeks, she dialed Patrick's cell phone. After two rings, he picked up.

"Honey, our baby's sick." Lizzie told her husband, not waiting for him to say 'hello'.

"What makes you say that?" Patrick asked.

"She's crying and she's burning up." Lizzie answered.

"I'll be home in fifteen minutes." Patrick said. Lizzie nodded and hung up. She walked over to where she had put her daughter on the couch. Gathering Lillian in her arms, Lizzie began sobbing. Lillian's cries had become quieter and softer, making Lizzie worried.

Fifteen minutes later, Patrick arrived, but he was too late – Lillian was gone.


	21. Thoughts on Lillian

A/N: hey everyone! sorry this chapt. is so short, but it just is - lol. i hope everyone is enjoying this story. unfortunately, there are only 4 chapters left. it might take me a while to update, but i will update this story, don't worry :). ttyl - M.E.T.

* * *

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE  
(chapter title - Thoughts on Lillian)

_A man does not have to be an angel in order to be a saint  
_- Albert Schweitzer

The morning of Lillian's funeral took place on a warm, sunny spring day. Lizzie felt tears in her eyes as she, Patrick and the kids, headed to the church. Kelli, a very pregnant Maureen, Joanne and Patrick's brother and sister, were already at the church, waiting for the others.

**Lizzie's Thoughts -** I didn't understand why God took my baby away from me -she had so much to live for, but now, there's nothing to live for. She was only four-months-old, too young to be taken from us.

**Patrick's Thoughts -** As we entered the church, the first thing I saw was the tiny coffin that contained Lillian's body. Everyone is sniffling around me, but Lizzie's the only one that's crying her eyes out. Our family took the first row of pews while the others filed behind or around us. I now feel the tears streaming down my cheeks as 'You are My Sunshine' was playing on the piano. I couldn't believe that my youngest girl - my angel - was gone.

**Kelli's Thoughts -** When Lizzie told me that Lillian died, I didn't know what to say. I was sort of hoping that it would be a joke or a horrible nightmare, but it wasn't. I know that this little girl will be missed by everyone.

**Eric's Thoughts - **I can't believe that Lillian is gone. It seems like yesterday that Lizzie brought her home from the hospital. It's hard on all of us, especially Lizzie and Patrick.

**Anne's Thoughts - **It's so hard to imagine that little Lillian isn't with us anymore. She seemed so happy and healthy, and then she declined. Lizzie is trying so hard to be brave, and I'm proud of her for that.

**Joanne's Thoughts -** It's so hard when you lose a child. I've been down that road - my little sister was stillborn. It hit my family so hard, just like Lillian's death is with Lizzie and her family. That poor girl has gone through so much, and I know that things will only get better from here - she has a wonderful support group, made up of Maureen and I, Patrick's siblings and the kids.

**Maureen's Thoughts -** I can't believe that another special person in my family is gone. Lillian had so much going for her, and now that will never come true. I can't imagine what Lizzie and Patrick must be going through - they're sad, upset and totally devastated. All and all, I hope that everything gets better.

**Ming-Na's Thoughts -** I can't believe my little sister is gone. Of all my siblings, Lillian was my favorite. I can't imagine how upset mom and dad must be - I haven't seen mom cry since grandpa and Dad died. I miss you Lillian and I will always love you - no matter what.

**Marcus' Thoughts -** I really don't understand why everyone's crying. Mommy told me that Lillian went to heaven, but I really don't know what that means. I hope that she comes back so that we can play.

**Isabel's Thoughts -** Mommy and Daddy told us that Lillian went to heaven, but that's confusing me. Is she alive? And if she is, is she coming back? Mommy is crying with Daddy. Daddy is trying his best to keep Mommy quiet, but nothing's working. I see a tiny coffin with a picture of Lillian on it. I feel tears in my eyes. Daddy says it's okay to cry, but I don't want to in front of him and Mommy. I wish that Lillian was alive.

**Sara's Thoughts -** I really don't know what to think. I know that Lillian was taken from us when she got sick. Mommy said that she had something called HIV - like she, daddy, Marcus and I have. Mommy also said that Lillian's immune system wasn't developed yet, so it made it hard for her to fight off the infection. When I grow up, I want to become a doctor and find a cure for HIV, so that way, we don't lose anyone else in our family.


	22. Lizzie's Point of View

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO  
(chapter title – Lizzie's Point of View)

_The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love, and be loved in return.  
_-Moulin Rouge

It seems like yesterday that Lillian was taken from me, when it's been a year. I've gotten to the point where I told Patrick that I don't want any more kids – I don't want to suffer through another death. Of course, he understands completely.

As we laid in bed after Lillian's funeral, I just couldn't stop sobbing. Patrick did everything he could to soothe me, but nothing worked. I just cried even harder.

"Sara told me that she wants to be a doctor when she grows up and cure HIV." Patrick told me when we took the kids to the park near our house.

"If she lives that long." I muttered as I watched Marcus and Isabel on the see-saw. Sara and Ming-Na were on the swings, having a wonderful time. Patrick and I were seated in the shelter in the middle of the park. Across from the shelter was a concrete path that people could venture on. There was a college-aged girl running with her dog. She had earphones in her ears and I saw the rectangular shape of an iPod in her back pocket. The dog had its tongue sticking out, panting. I smiled at the girl as she ran by us, but she didn't look at me. I think she was more focused on running than smiling at people.

"Lizzie, don't move - there's a bee the size of a thumbtack buzzing near you." Patrick told me. I heard the buzzing and instantly freaked out - I'm deathly allergic to bees, hornets and wasps. I stayed absolutely still until the buzzing retreated.

"Did you bring your Epi-Pen?" Patrick asked. I nodded and motioned to my pocket. The end of the pen was sticking out. Patrick smiled and put an arm around my shoulders. The sound of screaming made me jump out of my seat. Patrick put a hand on my arm and had me sit back down.

"It's just the kids having fun." he told me, flashing me a smile. I smiled back and sat back down.

"Okay, kids. Fifteen more minutes then we've gotta go." Patrick told the kids. They all stopped their game and whined.

"Unless, you don't want to come with us to pick out your new kitten." I told them. They all came rushing over to us, talking at once.

"Do you want to leave now or later?" I asked them.

"NOW!" Four voices chorused. Patrick and I led the kids to the car and drove to the animal shelter.

We arrived at the animal shelter twenty minutes later. Ming-Na, Isabel and Marcus started towards the door, while Sara walked with Patrick and me.

"Do you want a kitten or a cat, honey?" I asked her. The reason why we were getting a kitten was that it was Sara's birthday.

"A kitten, mama." She answered, smiling up at Patrick and I.

The six of us waited on hard, orange chairs in the lobby. Sara and Patrick were looking at kitten brochures; Ming-Na, Marcus and Isabel were looking at the fish display towards the entrance of the animal shelter. As for me, I flipped through one of the magazines that was on the table next to my chair.

"Hello. How can I help you?" A kind voice asked. I looked up to see a volunteer - Andrea - smiling at me. She had long red hair, blue eyes and stood about 5'6. She wore a long, plain pink shirt and jeans. On her feet, was a pair of beat-up sneakers.

"We're here to adopt a kitten for my daughter, Sara." I told her. As soon as Sara heard her name, she lifted her head from the brochure she was looking at and stood next to Patrick and I.

"Does the birthday girl want something special?" Andrea asked. Sara shook her head.

"How about you and your parents come with me and we'll get you your new kitten, okay?" Andrea suggested, taking Sara's hand.

"Ming-Na! Marcus! Isabel! Come here, please." I called to the other kids. They all came running over to where Patrick, Sara, Andrea and I were.

Andrea had us follow her to the kitten room. Sara kept looking up at me, smiling. I smiled down at her and squeezed her hand.

"Sar, do you want your siblings to come in with you?" I asked her. She shook her head. I looked over at Patrick. He shot me an 'it's her special day; she can do what she wants' look.

"Okay, sweetie. Pick one special person to help you pick out your kitten."

Andrea told Sara. Sara looked up at me.

"You can do what you want, sweetie." I told her, bending down and kissed her cheek.

"I pick mommy." Sara spoke up after a while. I smiled and followed both Andrea and Sara into the kitten room. Andrea handed us hand sanitizer and told us to use it between kittens. She stood in the back of the room while Sara and I looked at the kittens. I sat down on one of the chairs that was provided and watched Sara with the kittens.

"Mommy! What about this one?" Sara asked, bringing a light gray kitten with blue eyes to me.

"Aww. He's cute. Is he the one you want?" I asked. Sara shrugged her shoulders and put more hand sanitizer on her hands. She was so good with that.

A few minutes later, she brought back an orange kitten with a stubby tail. The kitten seemed a little agitated that Sara had picked him up.

"Sar, I don't think that kitten looks very happy. Why don't you get that gray kitten you liked and let's get going." I suggested, looking at Patrick and the other kids. Ming-Na had her arms folded over her chest and had a dark expression on her face. Patrick, Isabel and Marcus were talking to each other.

"Okay, mommy." Sara answered, walking over to the kittens and found the gray kitten. She picked it up and brought it to Andrea.

"Oh, she's a good kitten. You'll really like her." Andrea was telling Sara.

"What's her name?" Sara asked.

"Stormy Blue Eyes - Stormy for short." Andrea answered, tying a pink ribbon around the kitten's neck.

"Mommy, can we get Stormy?" Sara inquired.

"Whatever you want, sweetie." I told her, walking over to where Sara and Andrea were. Andrea had me bring Stormy to the back room so that we could fill out paperwork. Sara begged to come with us, but I told her that it would be boring. She sighed and walked over to her siblings.

Twenty minutes later, I walked over to my family with Sara's kitten in a cardboard box. I was also carrying a food bowl and a water bowl. Stormy also had kitten food, but I didn't have three arms.

"Could someone help me, please?" I asked. Patrick came running over when he saw me struggling. He took the kitten from me and walked over to the family.

"She also has kitten food that's back there." I told him. He nodded and went to get the kitten food. I could hear Stormy meowing and hissing in her box.  
"It's okay, girl." Sara soothed her kitten. Patrick came walking back over to us, carrying a large bag of kitten food.

"Kids, could you help us, please?" I asked, picking up the cardboard box that Stormy was in. Marcus and Isabel carried the food and water dishes, Patrick carried the food and I carried the kitten.

"What else does Stormy need?" I asked the kids as we walked to the car.

"Toys!" Marcus shouted.

"A litter box." Ming-Na and Isabel spoke up.

"Kitty litter." Sara suggested.

"She actually needs all of those things." I told them, putting the box that contained Stormy in the front seat. I then climbed in, smiling when Patrick sat down next to me. He gently squeezed my hand as we headed home. I could hear the kids chatting happily in the backseat.

Later that night, Patrick was getting things set up for Sara's birthday while I got her cake out of the oven. I was starting to decorate it when she sat on the barstool across from me. She was starting to look more like Roger with each passing day - she had his blond hair, emerald green eyes, and loved music.

"Mommy?" Sara asked.

"What, sweetie?"

"When will my friends come?" Sara inquired, brushing her shoulder-length blond hair behind her ears. I looked at my watch - a quarter past one. Her friends were half an hour late.

"I don't know, honey." I answered. Sara let out a sigh and brushed the tears out of her eyes.

"Do you think they forgot?" Sara asked. She was a real worry-wart, like me.

"I don't think so, sweetheart."

It was twenty minutes later and still no sign of Sara's friends. She started crying as I cut the cake into equal pieces and put it on paper plates. Patrick tried everything he could to soothe her while I called the mother's of Sara's friends. Sara's birthday was during the summer, so I understand that families went on vacation, but it would've been nice to get a phone call or something from them.

I finally got a hold of Sara's best friend, Anne's mom. She told us that they were running a little late, but they would be here soon. I smiled and hung up. I walked over to Sara, who was watching Hannah Montana with Isabel and Ming-Na.

"Honey, guess what - Anne's coming." I told Sara. She looked up at me and let out a squeal. I smiled and watched her go to her room so that she could change into a pink Hannah Montana t-shirt, light blue jeans and a pink bandana. I walked over to the CD player and put on the Hannah Montana CD that Sara had gotten for her birthday. As the first track played, Anne came walking in the door. She was wearing all red - except her jeans - to match her wild red hair.

"Anne! You made it!" Sara screamed, running to her best friend and hugged her. Anne smiled and hugged Sara back. Martha, Anne's mom, handed me a large pink bag and told me that she would come get Anne at six. I told her that we would drive Anne home - it wasn't a problem.

"Wanna see my kitty?" Sara asked, tugging on Anne's arm. Anne nodded and followed Sara to her room, where Stormy was.

After saying goodbye to Anne, Martha headed out the door. Anne, Isabel, Sara and Ming-Na started the karaoke party already. I smiled when I felt Patrick step behind me and rest his head on my shoulder. Marcus headed down the stairs, wearing a plain blue t-shirt, jean shorts and a checkered bandana around his neck.

"Okay, everyone. We're gonna start with karaoke party, then we're gonna watch a movie with popcorn. After that, Sara will open her presents and then, to end the night, we'll have a dance party." I announced. The girls screamed and went crazy. Marcus just stared into space.

While I helped the girls with the karaoke, Patrick went to talk with Marcus. Marcus kept shaking his head and glaring at Sara. He got jealous of his sisters, being the only boy, which was understandable.

After the girls finished karaoke, I popped in Mulan. I started making the popcorn, when Marcus sat on the barstool across from me.

"Hey hun." I greeted him, putting the popcorn in the microwave. I kept an eye on it, so that I wouldn't burn it.

"Can I watch something else other than stupid girl movies?" Marcus asked. I had enough of his attitude.

"Marcus Christopher. I've had enough of your attitude! It's your sister's birthday! Be in the spirit or you're grounded." I warned, my tone firm. The ten-year-old rolled his eyes and went to the couch where the girls were. The popcorn finished and I poured it into a bowl, burning myself in the process. I ran my right middle finger under cold water, knowing that would help it a little.

Later that night, after the kids had gone to bed, I instantly went to sleep. I was so warn out from the day and everything that happened. Patrick was snoring next to me, his arms wrapped around me, holding me close.

Deciding that I couldn't sleep, I made my way downstairs and put in my favorite movie, Moulin Rouge!. I always loved this movie - the message, the songs, the actors - everything. As El Tango de Roxanne came on towards the middle of the movie, I felt Patrick sit down on the couch next to me.

"_Feelings I can't fight!  
You're free to leave me but  
Just don't deceive me!  
...And please believe me when I say  
I LOVE YOU!_" I sang along with Christian. I felt Patrick kissing the back of my neck and rubbing my back.

We finished watching the movie and headed back to bed. I hummed El Tango de Roxanne as we climbed the stairs to our room. We entered the room and instantly went to bed - both of us had a lot of work to do the next day.


	23. Patrick's Point of View

A/N: hey everyone - it's me - again. there's only two more chapters left in this story. i'm sorry to say that there will be no sequel to Blue Skies. i am pleased that everyone is enjoying this story. thank you so much for reading this story and keep the reviews coming!

love, peace and happiness - Maureen Elphaba Thropp

* * *

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE  
(chapter title - Patrick's Point of View)

_Good is the reward for those who do good in the world_  
- Koran 39:10

_Patrick's Journal - Saturday, March 22nd, 2009_

I remember when I first met Lysette - my first wife. I was on Broadway in the musical Enchanted as Prince Edward. Lysette played the spunky - and somewhat confused Princess Giselle. I had a lot of fun working with her - both onstage and offstage.

Enchanted finished on Broadway, which meant that both of us were out of work. I didn't see Lysette again until we both auditioned for the revival of West Side Story.

West Side Story finished its run on Broadway, which made both of us sad, knowing that we wouldn't see each other again. Before I lost her again, I asked her to marry me. Of course, she said 'yes'.

We were married two months later and welcomed our daughter, Isabel, a year later. After Isabel was born, my beautiful red-headed Lysette, passed away, due to loss of blood and HIV. I got myself and Isabel tested - I had it, but somehow, Isabel didn't get it.

I got three jobs to pay for everything that Isabel needed, so while I was at work, either my brother or sister, who lived nearby, took care of her.

Before Lysette died, she told me to love again, and I did - with the beautiful Lizzie Davis. When I saw her at the movies with her kids, it came as a shock to me - she had recently lost her husband, so it was hard on all of them. Once I got talking with Lizzie, she and I hit it off right away.

Since losing Lillian, our baby, we vowed not to have any more kids. Lizzie and I are thinking about adopting, but we're not sure - 4 kids are enough for us.

If something was to happen to Lizzie or the kids, I wouldn't know what to do. I had already lost my first wife; I didn't want to lose my second. I also wouldn't know what to do if we lost any of the kids - that would be the hardest, I think.

Everyday I look at these kids and I wonder about their future. What will the world be like for them? I know that Marcus and Sara have HIV, so I don't know if they'll live long enough to go to college. Sara told Lizzie and I that she wants to be a doctor and find a cure for HIV. I'm so glad that she wants to do that - I really am, but I doubt that she'll live that long. Don't get me wrong, I love her with all my heart, but I just don't know what life has in store for her.

As I write this, Lizzie and the kids are sitting on the blue couch, watching a movie. I'm sitting at the kitchen counter, watching them. I know the movie is a comedy because I hear the kids - and even Lizzie - laughing once in a while. I can see Stormy (Sara's kitten) sleeping in Sara's lap. Our new cat, Arwen, is sitting on the back of the couch, her tail moving back and forth. The brown female had a pissed look on her face - her ears were back, but not flat against her head. We recently got Arwen from the vet's office where we take Stormy for her checkups. The vet told us that Arwen had been dropped off as a kitten (she was 4-years-old now) and she needed a good home. The vet's office has enough cats - Ginny, Hedwig, Judas, Hades, Damon - just to name a few. After talking to Lizzie and the kids, we adopted Tan (Arwen's real name), took her home and renamed her Arwen. Marcus ended up naming her after the female elf Arwen in the Lord of the Rings series.

* * *

"Hey." I greeted Lizzie as we climbed the stairs to our room. We had just put the kids down for bed and now we were heading that way.

"Hello." she greeted me back, kissing my cheek. I brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and kissed her jaw. She smiled and was almost to the last stair when she tripped over the stair and fell face first up the stairs.

"Liz, you okay?" I asked, kneeling down beside her. She nodded and stood up. I smiled and opened the bedroom door, flipping on the light as we entered the room.

"I have a bruise." she told me, lifting up her nightshirt. Sure enough, a purple bruise was forming from where she fell on her left side. I walked over and kissed her bruise. Her skin was warm and soft to my touch.

"Patrick, I'm not in the mood tonight." she told me, walking to the bed and got under the covers. I turned off the overhead light and turned on my bedside lamp.

"Liz?" I whispered, gently poking her. She was fast asleep on her uninjured side. I took her glasses off and set them on her bedside table before turning off my lamp and went to bed.

"I love you." I whispered to her, kissing the back of her neck.

The next morning, Lizzie woke up with flu-like symptoms, so I devoted the entire day taking care of her. The kids all worked on their homework and helped out with whatever they could - especially Ming-Na and Sara. Marcus and Isabel, however, were more interested in playing with Arwen and Stormy. I put the cats in the basement and closed the door. After that, Marcus and Isabel helped their sisters.

Throughout the day, Lizzie didn't seem to be getting any better, so I drove her to the hospital, leaving Kelli in charge. Her mother had recently passed away, so she had been in Alabama with her family for a few days.

Once we were at the hospital, Lizzie got checked in and was put in a hospital room. I sat on the extra bed in the room, filling out paperwork. Lizzie had gone through enough - what was happening now?

After the paperwork was filled out, the doctor wanted Lizzie to stay a few days, just to see what was going on. I ended up sleeping in the hard plastic chair next to the bed.

It turned out that Lizzie had a bad case of the stomach flu, so she would have to stay in the hospital for a week.

I was sad to leave her that night, but I was happy to be returning home to the kids. Looking at my watch, I noticed that it was a quarter to midnight - the kids would be in bed, so I would talk to them about Lizzie's condition in the morning.

I pulled in the driveway, turned off the ignition and headed inside. Opening the door, I entered the house and saw Kelli asleep on the couch, Stormy in her lap, curled a ball, also asleep. Arwen was asleep on her usual spot on the couch. The TV was on, but the volume was turned low.

"Kelli, you can go home, now." I told her, gently nudging her. She opened her eyes and stretched.

"How's Lizzie?" Kelli asked, getting off the couch and went to the closet for her coat. I handed it to her and shrugged my shoulders.

"She's at the hospital, but I don't know when she'll be out." I told her, feeling tears in my eyes. Being HIV positive myself, I knew how scared Lizzie must be.

"I'll say a prayer for her." Kelli told me, pulling me into a hug. I hugged her back and walked her to her house, even though she lived two houses down.

* * *

At eight o'clock the next morning, I was watching the news, when the phone rang. Sprinting to get it, I picked it up, dreading who would be on the other line.

"Hello?" I breathed into the receiver.

"Is this Patrick Davies?" a sad woman's voice asked on the other line. I felt my stomach drop - they were calling about Lizzie.

"This is he." I answered after a while, feeling tears in my eyes. I felt eyes watching me. Turning around, I saw Isabel in a pair of wild animal pajamas. She was home from school today - she wasn't feeling well.

"I'm sorry to say that your wife, Lizzie, passed away this morning. We ran tests on her and she had pneumonia. I'm so sorry." the nurse apologized. The tears were running down my cheeks now.

"Can I see her?" I asked.

"Yes, you can." the nurse answered. I thanked her and hung up the phone. I sobbed and sat down on the couch, rocking back and forth. Isabel came up to me and wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed my cheek.

"Baby, don't get too close - I don't want to catch whatever you have." I told her, trying to keep my voice calm.

"What's wrong, daddy?" she asked, a little stuffed up. I didn't know what to tell her - I suppose the truth, hell, she's eleven-years-old. She should know.

"Honey that was the hospital - your mom died." I told her, taking a big gulp of air. Isabel started crying as she climbed into my lap. I rocked her back and forth, the two of us crying together.

"Do you want to go say goodbye to your mom?" I asked. Isabel nodded and hurried to get dressed. I went to the bathroom to wash my face and blow my nose. Exiting the bathroom, I saw Isabel in the living room, dressed in a plain light blue shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans. Her blond hair was brushed into a ponytail.

"You ready?" I asked. Isabel nodded and together, we headed to the hospital.

"Can I put in my new CD?" Isabel asked. I nodded as she ejected the CD that 

was in the player and replaced it with the new one.

"What songs are on here, sweetie?" I asked.

"In These Times, At the Turning of the Year, Gather the Family, Arms of the Angel, I'll Cover You, I'm With You, The Rose, Without You, Written in the Stars, Elaborate Lives, Seasons of Love and I Know the Truth." Isabel answered. Curious, I picked up the case and looked at who sang the songs.

"Honey, do you know who this is?" I asked, studying the face carefully. A horn honked behind me, urging me to go forward.

"Angel Dumott Schunard - a friend of mommy's first husband." Isabel answered.

What seemed like an eternity later, we reached the hospital. I parked on the third floor of the parking garage and led Isabel to the hospital.

While I filled out the paperwork, Isabel found herself looking at the fish tank in the corner of the room. She had become obsessed with fish - especially clown fish - ever since seeing the movie Finding Nemo.

After all the paperwork was filled out, the nurse led us to where Lizzie was being kept. She was laid on a table, naked, her glasses removed and her hair flowing down her shoulders. I squeezed the tears out of my eyes as I took her hand in mine and told her how much I loved her. I noticed that her wedding ring was still on, and with a nod from the nurse, I took it off and put it in my pocket.

"Is there anything you would like to say to mommy, sweetie?" I asked Isabel. She nodded and brushed the tears out of her eyes.

"_Some say love, it is a river  
that drowns the tender reed.  
Some say love, it is a razor  
that leaves your soul to bleed.  
Some say love, it is a hunger,  
an endless aching need.  
I say love, it is a flower,  
and you it's only seed._" Isabel sang softly. I felt new tears in my eyes as I gently rubbed her back.

We visited for a little while longer before the nurses kicked us out. I said 'goodbye' to Lizzie one last time before kissing her on the forehead. Isabel leaned over the table and kissed Lizzie on the cheek.

I really didn't know what to tell the other three kids when I got home. I would tell them all the truth - they had to hear it.


	24. Kids' Points of View

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR  
(chapter title - Kids' Points of View)

_The mighty oak once was a little nut that stood its ground _  
- Unknown

**Ming-Na's Point of View -** When daddy told us about mom, I thought that it was a bad dream. I'm angry and sad because I was so close to my mom and I didn't get a chance to say goodbye. Why did she die while I was in school? I'm just so frustrated right now, but I have to be strong for dad and my siblings. Isabel is the only one who knows that mom died - she was here when dad received the call. Little witch. I'm just so angry with dad for not calling the school to let the rest of us kids know about our mom.

I remember when mom and Daddy (my first dad) adopted me from China. They were the sweetest people I had ever met - of course, I was three at the time - I thought everyone was sweet. I'm glad they didn't change my name - it's bad luck.

I will always miss both my mom and Daddy - no matter what happens.

**Marcus' Point of View -** I can't believe that mom's gone. Now three people that I love are gone - mom, Daddy and Lillian. I loved mom - even though I sometimes acted like a spoiled brat and gave her attitude sometimes - it's what happens when you get to be a teenager.

Anyway, even though mom and Ming-Na were close, she had a special place in her heart for me. She and I would always do something special together - like bake cookies and stuff like that. I remember when I was seven or eight and I had to make cupcakes for the school's bake sale the next day. Mom and I stayed up all night making not just cupcakes, but cookies, muffins and her famous cornbread.

I'm sad now because I won't be able to do that stuff with her. I just wish I got to say goodbye to her before she died - that would've been nice. She just went so quickly, you know.

I know that mom will be missed by everyone.

**I****sabel's Point of View - **My first mom died when I was a baby, so I really didn't know her. Daddy said that she was pretty, funny and loved to sing. He also said that she loved to read.

Now that my second mom, Lizzie, died, I feel that I will never have that special bonding with another person. Daddy said that he's not gonna remarry - he doesn't want to go through all the pain again. I completely understand.

When he and I went to the hospital to say goodbye to mommy, I was really sad. She was going so strong and then she couldn't get better. Daddy said that she had something called pneumonia. My friend Becky had pneumonia, but she got better. I don't understand why mommy didn't get better. Daddy told me that mommy had something called HIV, which leads to AIDS. I knew that my daddy had HIV, but I didn't know that mommy had it, too. Daddy said that her immune system couldn't fight off the infection, which made her really weak.

Wherever you are, mommy, we all love you and miss you.

**Sara's Point of View -** I knew mom would go soon, but I didn't think it would be this soon. She had so much to live for and do in life. When dad told us that mom was gone, I didn't know how to react. It was just like when Daddy died - he went suddenly.

Dad is taking this pretty hard, which is scaring Isabel and I most. He's always been so strong, and now he's going downhill.

Mom's funeral is planned for April 13th - a Sunday. I try to help, but dad won't let me. He tells me to go play or do my homework or watch TV or something. Aunts Kelli, Joanne, Maureen and Anne are over a lot, along with uncle Eric. Our new cousins Marissa and Jamie (aunts Maureen and Joanne's daughters) come over sometimes, too.

I am now sitting in the living room, watching The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, but I don't know why I don't laugh at the boys' jokes or at London when she says something silly. I guess I don't feel happy right now. The house is quiet. Ming-Na is at ballet, Marcus is in his room studying and Isabel is at a friend's house. Dad is in the dining room with aunt Anne and uncle Eric.

I get off the couch and walk into the dining room when The Suite Life goes to a commercial. I stay close to the wall, so that the adults won't hear me.

"…What about this one?" Aunt Anne was saying. I knew they were talking about pictures.

"No. I really don't like that one of her." dad was saying. I heard sadness in his voice.

"We've gone through a million photos already and at least ninety-nine of them you said you didn't like. It's driving me crazy!" uncle Eric's voice was rising, which was scaring me. The Suite Life came back on, so I ran back over to the TV, feeling tears streaming down my cheeks.

* * *

**No One's Point of View**

Anne and Eric ended up staying for dinner, which made Sara unhappy. That meant getting out two more plates. She hated setting the table and doing the dishes.  
After dinner, Patrick locked himself in his room and refused to come out. Eric and Anne helped the kids with their homework and put them to bed. They then waited for their brother to come out of his room.

Marcus, who had the room across from his parents', heard crying coming from his dad's room. Getting out of bed, he walked over to the door and gently knocked.

"Go away." Patrick sobbed.

"Dad - it's me, Marcus. Can I come in?" Marcus asked. There was a moment's silence before the door was unlocked and opened.

"Marcus, you're supposed to be in bed. Are you okay?" Patrick asked, his voice hoarse from crying.

"I'm fine. I was wondering how you were." Marcus reasoned. Patrick smiled weakly and motioned for Marcus to enter the room. Marcus stepped inside and flipped on the overhead light.

"What can I do for you?" Patrick inquired. Marcus sat down on the unmade bed and sighed.

"I know that mom's gone - all of us are pretty upset, but I don't understand why you didn't call us so that we could say goodbye to her." Marcus explained.

"I wanted to call the school, I really did, but I didn't want to tell you and then have you kids upset at school." Patrick told him. Marcus frowned.

"Okay, if that's all." Marcus said, rising from the bed and hugged Patrick. Patrick ruffled Marcus' hair and watched him walk to his room.

The next morning, Joanne and Maureen came over with Marissa and Jamie, their twin daughters. Joanne volunteered to take the kids to the park, while Maureen and Patrick worked on their eulogies for Lizzie.

When the group came back from the park, it was time for Joanne and Maureen to go to work. Marissa and Jamie were going to stay over that afternoon, which made the kids happy.

After Maureen and Joanne took the girls home, the kids started on their homework and Patrick started on dinner.

Once dinner was over, Patrick cleared the dishes and put them in the dishwasher. After that was done, he joined Sara, Isabel and Ming-Na in front of the TV. The girls were watching American Idol. The theme for the episode was 'Unknown Broadway Musicals'. One of the guys sang 'So Close' from the musical, Enchanted, which made Patrick smile.

Once the kids were in bed, Patrick watched a show he had recorded and thought about Lizzie.


	25. Epilogue: You’ll Never Walk Alone

A/N: this is the final chapt. of Blue Skies. i would like to thank the following people:

**ILikeScarvesAndGuitars**, **Lucky Eponine**, **Misto4Ever**, **TangoAida**, **doodleswriter357** and **pyro vampire girl **for putting this story on their story alert.

**Lucky Eponine**, **Misto4Ever** and **TangoAida **for putting this story on their favorite stories list

**Lucky Eponine, Murgy31, Sing-my-heart-out, Sirius Black Luver, TangoAida, Wicked4Rent **and **Writer's Block247 **for putting me on their favorite authors list

**GirlInTheMirror121, Lucky Eponine, Murgy31, TangoAida **and **Wicked4RentFriend **for putting me on their author alert list.

I would also like to thank all of the anon. reviewers.

I love all of you guys and I hope you continue reading my stories.

Love, Peace and Happiness from Maureen Elphaba Thropp

* * *

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE  
(chapter title - Epilogue: You'll Never Walk Alone)

_You'll never walk alone_  
- You'll Never Walk Alone from the musical, Carousel

Two years later, and here's what happened:

A year after Lizzie died, Patrick committed suicide. In his suicide note, he left custody of the kids to Eric, who never had kids of his own.

_When you walk through a storm  
Hold your head up high  
And don't be afraid of the dark._

Juliet, the mother of Anne, Eric and Patrick, suffered a fatal heart attack in her condo in Orlando. Anne and Eric went to the funeral themselves because the kids were in college.

Anne, Sara's best friend, was strangled to death by her abusive step-father for getting a 'B' on her science paper. He is serving life in prison.

_At the end of a storm is a golden sky  
And the sweet silver song of a lark.  
Walk on through the wind_

Both Arwen and Stormy - the cats - suffered from feline leukemia and had to be put down. Anne had volunteered to take the cats when Eric took the kids. Arwen was seven and Stormy had just turned one.

_Walk on through the rain,  
Tho' your dreams be tossed and blown.  
Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart_

Kelli, however, was killed point blanc in her home by an armed robber.

* * *

Ming-Na Davies was now touring with the American Ballet Company in their production of Golden Pond. She had been in several other productions, which she enjoyed.

Marcus didn't live to see adulthood. When he was in high school, there was a bad case of the flu going around, and he caught it. His immune system couldn't fight the virus, and sadly, Marcus passed away. He was only seventeen.

_And you'll never walk alone_

Isabel is working in one of the nearby elementary schools as a teacher for kids with disabilities. She worked with all sorts of kids - deaf, blind, hearing impaired, wheelchair bound and mute. She grew fond of a mute boy named Thomas. During the class, Thomas would just keep to himself and wouldn't play with the other kids. Isabel decided to bring a special present for Thomas - a Thomas the Tank Engine notebook. Upon seeing the notebook, his eyes grew wide. Isabel told him that he would get it if he said something - anything. That special day came - Isabel was working with a wheelchair bound girl named Lindsey when Thomas started humming a song. Isabel recognized the tune as Seasons of Love. Thomas' first word was 'love'. That was a day that Isabel would never forget.

Sara, on the other hand, grew up to do her dream job - finding the cure for HIV. She found the cure in the year 2014 after spending endless years researching and doing tests. She, along with her partner, Andrew, were so excited and happy that they finally did it. Sara had even been one of the test subjects - seeing as she had HIV herself. She couldn't believe she found the cure.

At a celebratory dinner that evening, Andrew asked her to marry him. Of course, she said 'yes' and the two of them went to work planning their wedding. They were married in the spring and welcomed a daughter in the summer. They named her Hannah Iris Valentine - her initials being HIV - the disease they had found the cure for.  
_  
You'll never walk alone_

Maureen died of cancer on June 14th, two days after her thirtieth birthday. Joanne vowed that she would never fall in love again and went to take care of and support their daughters Marissa and Jamie until the girls were old enough to move out of the Johnson-Jefferson house. Jamie ended up going to vet school and is now a big animal vet. Marissa, on the other hand, is on Broadway in a musical called Wishing Upon A Star.

As for the ones in heaven, they're glad that their family members are doing so well.


End file.
